As reported by USA Today, Apple iPhone lead the race last year as well. The current 2017 rankings doesn't include only one iPhone model but all three of them combined - iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X. The Apple iPhone (223 million) is followed by the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the Galaxy S8 flagship smartphones with 33 million. Amazon Echo Dot, Apple Watch and the Nintendo Switch came at third, fourth and fifth place with 24 million, 20 million and 15 million unit sales, according to the analytics company.
According to the report, Ives says that Apple may have a bigger 2018 as it may unveil an updated iPhone SE next year. He also says that out of all the billion-plus consumer base of the iPhone, around 350 million will upgrade next year.
Ives adds that Apple Watch, which came at the fourth place, has "found its niche" with 20 million units. This is because of Apple lowering the prices of the devices, improving battery life and making it better-tailored for fitness crowd.
The smartphone features a 5.8-inch OLED display and is the company's first iPhone to feature an OLED panel. One of the selling points of the device is the FaceID tech. Apple claims that FaceID is powered by TrueDepth camera system on the front. This is based on multiple neural networks for real-time face recognition.
According to the company, FaceID only unlocks iPhone X when customers look at it and is designed to prevent spoofing by photos or masks. FaceID can also be used to authenticate Apple Pay payments.
