Apple’s newly crowned flagship is, according to a report from Counterpoint Research, said to have broken sales records in the West in the first three months of this year.
According to the report, the base model which is the iPhone 16 in 2023 was the best-selling Smartphone in the world from January to March this year, the long-awaited return to the throne for the standard iPhone model after two years led by the Pro versions.
This strength represents the ongoing global demand for iPhone and Apple s marketplace firepower. The success of the iPhone 16 can be linked to factors such as positive consumer response to its new features, the A18 chip and competitive pricing in certain countries.
iPhone 16: iPhone 17 attracted more demand in Japan and MEA regions, base model sales grew most in Japan Interestingly, iPhone 16: iPhone 17 saw the most demand in Japan and MEA regions as Japan registered the pumping highest sales for base variant.
Better economic environment and reformed subsidy system – These are considered to have been pricing friendly for Apple and reinforced the overall Apple based ecosystem strength in the market.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro also took the second and third spots on the top-selling phone ranking, showing a wide demand for Apple’s top of the line devices.
While it continued to face challenges in China, where government subsidies favor cheaper devices and local manufacturers like Huawei have mounted stiff competition, the Pro models still made up almost half of Apple’s total iPhone sales for the third quarter in a row.
Meanwhile for Apple, the newly released iPhone 16e was well received, and entered the global top 10 in 6th position in March 2025, following its first full month of sales.
Priced above its predecessor, iPhone SE (2022), iPhone 16e is expected to outperform it in the first year of availability by dint of tremendous improvements in technology and a wider array of features.
Samsung had an entry in the top five in the form of its Galaxy A16 5G, highlighting the strength of its mid-range devices during the period.
The list was also dominated by the 7 non-Apple and non-Samsung phones, Xiaomi’s Redmi 14C 4G its a distinctiveness for emerging market like the MEA and Latin America.
In sum, global a smartphone market was lively in first two years’ quarter of 2025 and the iPhone 16 from apple was on the leading ride. This historic start to the year bodes very well for Apple in 2025.