In the first quarter of 2025, the iPhone 16 was the world’s best-selling smartphone, outpacing its more feature-rich siblings, new data has revealed.
The iPhone 15 narrowly missed the title last year, finishing behind the iPhone 15 Pro Max by a slim margin. However, in the first three months of this year, the iPhone 16 took top spot, according to the newly published data from Counterpoint Research.
Apple has four models in the top five spots of the list. However, it’s interesting to see the base model take top spot ahead of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
It suggests consumers are satisfied with the A18 chip and 8GB of RAM, with the trade-offs of fewer cameras and a 60Hz OLED panel not enough to deter buyers. It also suggests the price premium for the ‘Pro’ versions isn’t as justifiable as it once was, and people aren’t as happy to spend more on a phone anymore.
The iPhone 15 still had a strong showing in fourth place, while Samsung’s Galaxy A16 5G rounded out the top five. The Galaxy S25 Ultra was seventh, outperforming the iPhone 16 Plus.
Is this the end of the iPhone Plus line?
The iPhone 16 Plus has always felt like the hardest model of the series to recommend, and we’re not surprised that it’s the least popular member of the family.
The iPhone 16 Plus is the least popular model in the series, according to the data
This is likely to be a key reason why Apple may be considering replacing the iPhone 16 Plus with the iPhone 17 Air. Online chatter suggests that the 17 Air will be a very thin device, toting a single camera on the back and a 120Hz refresh rate display of a similar size to the current model.
If it does get a release later this year, the 17 Air will go head-to-head with the Galaxy S25 Edge – although we hope it’s smarter than Samsung’s effort, which doesn’t really offer anything more than a slim chassis.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max had a much tougher time in China, where government subsidies are favouring lower-priced models.
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