Apple’s iPhone 5S and 5C were the bestselling smartphones in February while Xiaomi also entered the top 10 list.

Apple’s iPhone 5s continues to be the bestselling phone in the world – a position it has held for 6 consecutive months. The iPhone 5c comes in at 2nd place in February, mostly due to the big clearance discounts in Western markets. Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and Note 3 tie for 3rd place as the end of life cycle Galaxy S4 still pushes huge volumes while the Note 3 is a spectacular hit in Asia markets where its large, high-quality display is seen as particularly attractive.

The big surprise is little known Xiaomi as two of its newest devices enter the ranks of the Global top 10 in February. The Hongmi Redrice comes in at 7th place and the MI3 at 10th place. The Hongmi Redrice is an affordable quad core device with a 4.7” screen running on a 3G network while the MI 3 is a phablet with a 5” vibrant screen with 441 ppi resolution but again much more affordable than its competitors from international brands. These are both 3G phones and mainly sold in just one country, China. It only recently started to ship to neighboring countries.

Samsung still placed 5 devices in the top 10 list while Apple had 3, new comer Xiaomi had 2. LG and Sony each have one model just outside of the top 10 list. Nokia’s 105, 108, 208 top the feature phone hit model list but none of its smartphones are in the top 20 list this month.

Commenting on the analysis, Counterpoint Research Director, Tom Kang noted, “We expect some changes in March and April as the new Galaxy S5 becomes available and the iPhone 5c discounts have ceased. We are also seeing good performances from the Motorola G and Huawei LTE models so there might be some volatility in the best seller’s list.”

Counterpoint’s India based Research Director, Neil Shah further commented, “The addition of Nokia’s aggressively-priced X-Series smartphones that are based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) platform, will also start to become available progressively over the next few months. After several quarters in the wilderness, these innovative devices will likely push Nokia back into the best sellers list.”

Peter Richardson who manages Counterpoint’s Tech Strategies made the following observation, “At the global level there has been little brand diversity over recent months. However the appearance of Xiaomi on the best sellers list highlights an increasing trend – local brands moving up the sales rankings in their respective countries. It’s a consequence of commoditization of hardware and software. Provided the price is sufficiently attractive, consumers are willing to try local brands over the higher profile global brands.”

(table source: Monthly Market Pulse February 2014)
^* Mobile Phone sales only (not shipments). Tablets, PCs, dongles, fixed wireless devices not included. All regional or minor hardware variations included in each model.

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Background:

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in Technology products in the TMT industry. It services major technology firms and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analysis of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are experts in the industry with an average tenure of 13 years in the high tech industry.