The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have emerged as the best-selling smartphones of 2016 fourth-quarter, while iPhone 6s was named the highest-selling smartphone for the whole year by financial services firm IHS Markit. For the full year, Apple's smartphones took the top four spots in the list of best-selling smartphones, while Samsung handsets took five spots in the top 10.
"Apple again has demonstrated that its new iPhones integrate enough innovations and new features to drive sales and remain successful in the market. The company is also capable of selling older devices for an extended period of time," the statement added.
The now two-year-old iPhone 6s Plus was also among the most-shipped models of 2016.
Meanwhile, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy S7 ranked fifth and ninth, respectively, outperforming Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in terms of sales. With the recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge became the best flagships in the premium line-up of Samsung.
One of the models of Chinese manufacturer Oppo has also been listed among the top ten ranking. Oppo registered a growth of 109 percent in smartphone shipments in 2016 to become the fourth largest smartphone maker in terms of unit shipment.
"Huawei, the third largest smartphone maker after Apple and Samsung, did not have any models in the top 10 most-shipped smartphones in 2016. Similar to Samsung, Huawei continues to address multiple smartphone pricing segments - either with its own Huawei-branded handsets or with those of its sub-brand, Honor. In the premium segment, Huawei's P9 was among its own top five most-shipped smartphone models in 2016, performing better than previous flagships," the company's news release said.
Written with IANS inputs
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