iPhone shipments hit a record 85.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2021

Source: Joseph Keller / iMore

The iPhone 13 was the “primary growth driver” for global phone sales in the fourth quarter of 2021.

In a new report from analytics firm TrendForce, global smartphone shipments increased 9.5% quarter over quarter to over 356 million units last year. The report says that Apple’s iPhone 13 lineup was “the primary growth driver” of the global smartphone market, shipping a record 85.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2021.

After unveiling the iPhone 13 series in September, Apple started aggressively ramping up the shipments of these new devices to meet market demand. Owing to its fast-paced sales and marketing rhythms, Apple has been able to take first place in the quarterly ranking of smartphone brands by production market hare for many fourth quarters, and 4Q21 was no exception. Besides maintaining its top position in the fourth-quarter brand ranking, Apple raised its quarterly iPhone production to a new record high of 85.5 million units, a 66.0% QoQ increase. In the aspect of pricing strategy, the prices of the new iPhone 13 models were reasonable for consumers, while the price reductions for the older iPhone models were noticeable as well.

According to the data, it appears that Apple’s performance in China and its capture of market share from Huawei attributed to its record performance last year and last quarter.

Moreover, the capturing of the market share left by Huawei can be considered as the main factor behind Apple’s stellar performance in 4Q21. Over time, the orders for Huawei’s flagship models (i.e., the P and Mate series) have been gradually replaced by iPhone orders. In terms of annual production, Apple reached 233 million units for 2021, up from almost 200 million units for 2020. The growth was mainly attributed to an expansion of Apple’s market share in China from 10% to 16%.

While we’ll need to wait until the fall to see the next round of flagship iPhone models, Apple is rumored to be hosting a virtual event in March where it is anticipated to announce a new generation of the iPhone SE.