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You would have expected the best selling Samsung smartphone of 2021 to be a flagship, like the Galaxy S21, S21+, or S21 Ultra. A powerful, top specc’d phone that is immediately attractive to the eye. Or perhaps a previous flagship. But that was not to be. According to Counterpoint Research, the best selling Samsung smartphone of 2021 was a budget model.
What?! Budget? How budget? The Galaxy A72? No; not that one. You have to go lower. Surely, it has to be the Galaxy A52 or its 5G variant. You were wrong if you thought that. Further down, please. “Aha! Definitely the A32!” I’m afraid, you have it wrong.
Let me cut down on the drama and be merciful into you. The best selling Samsung smartphone of 2021 is the Galaxy A12 . Hey, language! Stop the expletives. It isn’t such a life-changing revelation. If you are given to expletives, there is more information to trigger you though, I’m afraid. Shall we?
While Samsung Galaxy A12 is the best selling Samsung smartphone of 2021, it is the 6th bestselling smartphone of the year, right behind five iPhone models. Five! Apple sold in tremendous numbers last year, people. Have a look at the chart from Counterpoint:
- The global top 10 best selling phones in the world in 2021
- Specs of the best selling Samsung smartphone of 2021
The global top 10 best selling phones in the world in 2021
- Apple iPhone 12
- Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
- Apple iPhone 13
- Apple iPhone 12 Pro
- Apple iPhone 11
- Samsung Galaxy A12
- Xiaomi Redmi 9A
- Apple iPhone SE 2020
- Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Xiaomi Redmi 9
It is insane that of the global top 10 best selling phones in the world in 2021, seven (7) were Apple iPhones. That is just mind-bogging. How did one company pull that off with expensive phone models? What is Apple’s secret sauce for recording this kind of sales?
The top 5 best selling phones are iPhone models, then Samsung A12 makes an appearance in the 6th place, the only Samsung model to. Xiaomi has two phones in the top 10 list. I have thought that if Samsung has any true challenger today, it is Xiaomi. Perhaps this list is an indicator of things to come.
Specs of the best selling Samsung smartphone of 2021
- Release Date: December 2020
- Compatible Networks: 2G/3G/4G
- Display: 6.5-inch, PLS TFT, Infinity-V
- Processor: Helio P35
- Selfie Camera: 8 MP
- Rear camera: 48 MP quad sensors
- RAM: Up to 6 GB
- ROM: Up to 128 GB
- Battery: 5000mAh
- 15W fast charging
It sells for $150, $170, and $200, respectively for the 3/32 GB, 4/64 GB, and 6/128 GB variants. This budget model is what sold the most last year among Samsung’s line-up. It was released in December 2020, so it has the benefit of taking off pretty early in the year 2021. But that isn’t exactly why it is the top seller; is it?
After all, Samsung S21 was released just a month after in January 2021. Not much gap in terms of entry to the market. It looks like it sold that we’ll based on the price. And if you look at the two Xiaomi models on the list, Redmi 9A and Redmi 9, they fit into that pattern. They are budget models.
Apple has the premium smartphone market on lockdown and will once again record a huge chunk of the industry’s profit for last year. Hate them or love them, iPhones ruled the smartphone world in 2021.
Did you buy a Samsung A12 last year? Did you see this coming, or does the emergence of the Galaxy A12 come as a surprise to you?
References
- Counterpoint Research ( link )
Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
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Android One is an initiative to make good-quality smartphones accessible to as many people as possible. Android One was designed to deliver a clean, bloat-free software experience, as well as fast software updates. The best Android One phones pack a combination of impressive hardware while meeting these software conditions.
In the early years, quite a number of smartphone makers toyed with and released Android One models. These included Nokia, Lava, Infinix, Micromax, Aquaria, General Mobile, Motorola, Xiaomi, and Sharp, among others. Over time, however, most of them have abandoned the programme and left HMD Global in the game. As such, if you want an Android One smartphone today, Nokia phones are where to look.
Part of the problem with the project is that software updates have not come as fast as was promised. This has led to a lot of dissatisfaction among fans. Yet, the programme is alive and Nokia is trudging on with it.
Let’s look at the very best Android One phones available for you in 2022.
List of the best Android One phones
Nokia 8.3 5G . Released in September 2020, this is the most powerful Android One smartphone on the market today. You could argue that the Nokia 9 PureView is more powerful, being a proper flagship, but that was released in March 2019 and no longer gets software updates since 2021. It is no longer in the game. So, Nokia 8.3 it is.
The 8.3 delivers a large screen, solid battery life, and 5G connectivity. The Snapdragon 765G processor is a solid performer that delivers near-flagship performance. Get ready to spend anything from $600 to get one, depending on what memory storage you opt for.
Nokia 8.3
Nokia X20 . Next on our list of the best Android One phones is the X20, a mid-range model released in May 2021. I am not a huge fan of the Snapdragon 480 chipset in a phone at this price range. I wonder why HMD Global has stuck with it when there are more capable chipsets. However, it adds 5G connectivity at a modest price, so if you are looking for an affordable 5G smartphone, you should consider the X20. The price is around $375, depending on where you look.
Nokia 5.4 . This is one of my favourite Nokia smartphones and definitely one of the best Android One phones around today. It is a decent, no-frills performer and costs less than $300.
Features of Nokia 5.4 include a 6.39-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 662 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. You also get decent battery life from the 4000mAh battery, though for charging you have to make do with 10W standard. Not quite as fast as I’d want. To get a fuller picture of what this model has to offer, see our Nokia 5.4 review .
Nokia 3.4 . There are not a lot of $150 smartphones with solid hardware, good performance, and that get software updates for 2 years. This is one of them.
It is equipped with a 6.39-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 460 chipset, and a 4000mAh battery that delivers good battery life as well. It is sold in two variants – one with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, and the other with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.
If that sounds like your cup of tea, have a look at our Nokia 3.4 review to get the full picture.
The above are some of the best Android One phones you can buy in 2022. While the promised software updates come months after the release of new Android versions by Google, they do come. As such, these phones are as up-to-date as many new models from the competition.
Plus, you enjoy the clean, bloat-free software experience that you don’t find elsewhere, if you ignore Google’s own Pixel phones. Read up more about Android One smartphones .
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Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
