The iPhone 11 was Apple’s most popular smartphone in December by some distance, according to new data published on Monday by the Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).
The holiday period is always a busy time for Apple as the company’s latest flagship devices are high on shopping lists for scores of consumers across the US, but the latest report highlights a few changes in buyer habits during the latest Christmas rush.
The standard iPhone 11 and higher-end Pro and Pro Max models accounted for more than two-thirds (69%) of all sales in the US in December, dwarfing the share for older models such as the iPhone XR.
This is a marked shift from December 2018 when both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus sold more than the newer iPhone XS.
One major takeaway from the latest data is the success of Apple’s mid-range premium smartphones.
The iPhone XR secured around 38% of all sales back in December 2018 and the iPhone 11 improved on that last month as customers flocked to its stellar feature set and $699 (£729) price tag.
CIRP partner and co-founder Josh Lowitz said that the iPhone 11 is now the leading model in Apple’s smartphone product line, but he was also surprised at the strength of the two $999+ devices.
He noted that both the Phone 11 Pro and Pro Max got meaningful share, both at 15%, and the iPhone XR, which was released in 2018, brought in a new size profile and is still popular at its lower price.
CIRP estimates that Apple received an $809 weighted average retail price for the smartphones during December, which is down $26 from a year earlier ($839) and can be attributed to the cheaper price of the iPhone 11.
CIRP also said that customers were less interested in purchasing higher storage models last month compared to December 2018.