Shoppers Scoop Up iPhone 7 in Q3, 8 Plus Tops iPhone 8

Apple's 2016 flagship iPhone 7 was the world's most popular smartphone last quarter, according to new figures from research firm Canalys. The iPhone 8, which arrived near the end of the quarter, didn't make the list of the top five most popular smartphone models.

The iPhone 7 , which received a price cut in September, took the No. 1 spot with 13 million units shipped, followed by 2015's iPhone 6s with 7.9 million shipments.

"Apple grew in Q3, but it was these older, cheaper models that propped up total iPhone shipments," Canalys Analyst Ben Stanton said in a statement. "Apple is clearly making a portfolio play here. With the launch of the iPhone X , it now has five tiers of iPhone and delivers iOS at more price bands than ever before. This is a new strategy for Apple."

Overall, Apple shipped 46.7 million smartphones during the quarter; iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus accounted for 11.8 million of those shipments. "This falls well short of its predecessor, the iPhone 7 line, which topped 14 million in its first quarter," Canalys noted.

Meanwhile, the figures also suggest that people are increasingly gravitating towards larger handsets these days. Case in point: the iPhone 8 Plus out-shipped the iPhone 8 last quarter: 6.3 million units to 5.4 million.

"This makes the iPhone 8 Plus the first iPhone Plus model to out-ship its smaller sibling in a single quarter," Canalys pointed out.

The rest of the top five lineup is also surprising — Samsung's Galaxy J2 Prime came in at No. 3 with 7.8 million shipped, followed by two handsets from the Chinese firm Oppo at Nos. 4 and 5—the A57 and R11, with 7.8 million and 7.2 million units shipped, respectively.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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