Apple's premium-priced iPhone X hoisting up sales of iPhone 8 Plus, study suggests

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone edited December 2019
After Apple confirmed iPhone X to be the top-selling iPhone in both the first and second quarters of 2018, fresh data from Mixpanel suggests the premium-priced handset also acted as a halo device to prop up sales of iPhone 8 Plus.

iPhone X


A key takeaway from Mixpanel's iPhone and iOS data, collected over the trailing four years, is iPhone X's performance. Despite carrying a four-digit price tag, the flagship handset was able to capture a sizable chunk of the overall iPhone market, reaching a high of 12 percent in August.

This year also marks the first time that a Plus-sized iPhone outsold its smaller counterpart. The iPhone 8 Plus was able to capture 9.37 percent of the iPhone market at its peak compared to the iPhone 8, which maxed out at 7.89-percent. That could be partially attributed to the iPhone X stealing market share from each device, but some looking for a more affordable handset also seem to have been swayed by the iPhone SE.

Mixpanel guesses iPhone X's thousand-dollar price tag is making it easier for buyers to justify the cost of iPhone 8 Plus.

While not as astounding as the more than 33 percent share grabbed by iPhone 6 in 2015, the data suggests Apple's decision to trend towards higher pricing is proving fruitful for the device maker.

Mixpanel iPhone Market share analytics


Comparatively, the most popular iPhone still in use is the iPhone 7 which claims ownership of 17.34 percent of the market.

Also of note is that older devices are still popular with users, with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s taking 10.57 percent and 13.01 percent of the market, respectively. That could be a good sign for Apple as these users look to upgrade as their devices age, but also shows the longevity of Apple's devices.




Looking at operating systems, Mixpanel claims Apple took 61.75 percent of the U.S. smartphone market in August, with Android picking up the remainder. Those numbers are at odds with nearly all other market research, which puts Google's OS on top in terms of overall users.

In line with consensus, however, Mixpanel finds Apple leading in operating system adoption, with 93.25 percent of users running a version of iOS 11 -- the latest publicly available version of iOS. Android lags behind with only 27.09 percent on Android 8 or newer.

IPhone versus Android market share


The data comes a day before we head into Apple's "Gather Round" event where the latest batch of iPhones is set to be announced.

Apple is expected to launch three new handsets this year. Along with a refreshed iPhone X, a larger OLED model is anticipated to debut. Anchoring the lineup is a 6.1-inch LCD version rumored to be priced as a mid-tier offering.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    The hits just keep coming for analysts and AI naysayers.
  • Reply 2 of 10
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,913member
    Very high percentage of users still using 6S,7,7 Plus.
    edited September 2018
  • Reply 3 of 10
    backstabbackstab Posts: 138member
    Not a comment on the article, per se, but I just can't get over how so many people on so many comment forums will just not STFU about iPhone X price tag; STILL; to this day!
    Nobody bitching and moaning about price of the high end model Mercedes. But the price tag of iPhone X is "the symbol of all that is wrong with the world".
    It's making me nuts.
    watto_cobraStrangeDays
  • Reply 4 of 10
    canukstormcanukstorm Posts: 2,700member
    backstab said:
    Not a comment on the article, per se, but I just can't get over how so many people on so many comment forums will just not STFU about iPhone X price tag; STILL; to this day!
    Nobody bitching and moaning about price of the high end model Mercedes. But the price tag of iPhone X is "the symbol of all that is wrong with the world".
    It's making me nuts.
    Because too many people still think of the iPhone as just a "phone" when really it's a "Mac" in your pocket that can you give one 3 to 4 years of useful life.
    dewmewatto_cobraradarthekatStrangeDays
  • Reply 5 of 10
    djkfisherdjkfisher Posts: 131member
    I love my iPhone X
    watto_cobraminicoffee
  • Reply 6 of 10
    jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj Posts: 2unconfirmed, member
    I think this is easily explained by people wanting a big phone and the X not being big enough. I've had a 6S Plus for the last 3 years. I want to buy the new phone every year but there's just been no compelling reason to buy it. The 7 and 8 are just the same phone, slightly faster. My old 6 still runs as fast as the X for everything except gaming. The X looks good, but it's too small and battery life not as good as a Plus. So I can see this being a big upgrade cycle with a big X
    edited September 2018
  • Reply 7 of 10
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    jjjjjjjj said:
    I think this is easily explained by people wanting a big phone and the X not being big enough. I've had a 6S Plus for the last 3 years. I want to buy the new phone every year but there's just been no compelling reason to buy it. The 7 and 8 are just the same phone, slightly faster. My old 6 still runs as fast as the X for everything except gaming. The X looks good, but it's too small and battery life not as good as a Plus. So I can see this being a big upgrade cycle with a big X
    Agreed.  I went from a 6, finally ready to deal with a larger handset filling my pocket and I wanted to get as much screen real estate as possible.  That was the 8+, the bonus being it comes in at a lower price that the X.  But I’ll trade it or give it away to replace with whichever iPhone has the biggest display this year.  
    macplusplus
  • Reply 8 of 10
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    Aren’t the Plus phones a bit wider than the X? Maybe that’s why they’re still so popular.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,877member
    jjjjjjjj said:
    I think this is easily explained by people wanting a big phone and the X not being big enough. I've had a 6S Plus for the last 3 years. I want to buy the new phone every year but there's just been no compelling reason to buy it. The 7 and 8 are just the same phone, slightly faster. My old 6 still runs as fast as the X for everything except gaming. The X looks good, but it's too small and battery life not as good as a Plus. So I can see this being a big upgrade cycle with a big X
    Most normals don’t expect to or wish to buy a new high end smartphone every year. They aren’t designed for that either. They get better and better over time, rewarding people who upgrade after two or three years. And that’s fine. If one has the interest and money, annual upgrades are fine too. But it’s not a shortcoming for most folks not feeling the need to upgrade every single year. 
  • Reply 10 of 10
    macplusplusmacplusplus Posts: 2,112member
    rogifan_new said:
    Aren’t the Plus phones a bit wider than the X? Maybe that’s why they’re still so popular.
    iPhone 8 Plus is not only a bit wider but also faster than iPhone X.
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