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The iPhone 5c was the best selling phone in UK, before iPhone 6 debut

iPhone 6 Plus iPhone 6 iPhone 5s iPhone 5c

The iPhone 5c is often criticised in light of its beefy powerful cousins, acting as a bit of a laughing stock for the technology industry. However, it is often reported as one of the top phones by sales volume in many countries (usually beating out Samsung’s offerings).

In fact, for August the iPhone 5c was the best selling smartphone in the UK, even outselling the iPhone 5s, according to Kantar World Panel.

The iPhone 5c was the best selling phone in Britain in August with 8.9% share, outselling the flagship iPhone 5s with 7.6% and the Samsung Galaxy S5 with 6.0%.

Normally, Apple phone sales drop in the runup to the next-generation devices, as customers hold off on iPhone purchases until the new versions are announced. However, Kantar says that the success of the iPhone 5c meant that Apple’s decline was much lower than in previous years.

Apple dipped just 1.6 percentage points compared to July. Kantar speculates that buyers of the iPhone 5c do not care about the latest and greatest technology and are therefore willing to buy in to the market regardless of any new product rumors. Obviously, the 5c is unlikely to stay at the number one spot in light of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Kantar believes around four million customers in the UK are ready to upgrade to a new iPhone.

Apple sold 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models worldwide in the opening weekend. Apple will announce total iPhone sales for the July, August and September months at its earnings call on October 20th.

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Comments

  1. iSRS - 9 years ago

    “Kantar speculates that buyers of the iPhone 5c do not care about the latest and greatest technology and are therefore willing to buy in to the market regardless of any new product rumors.”

    I don’t know what to think. Reading just the headline/summary before getting to this part, I soeculsted the same. 5s customers in August were awaiting the 6. 5c customers are likely more budget conscious, so, if the UK had deals like the US did (16 GB 5c for about $20 on contract), then that was the time to get one.

    • iSRS - 9 years ago

      Oh, and the “I don know what to think ” was regarding me having the same thought as an analyst.

  2. clokbox - 9 years ago

    Yeah I see them around a lot at university

  3. rogifan - 9 years ago

    But that’s not possible. Everyone told us the 5C was a failure.

  4. scumbolt2014 - 9 years ago

    Shows that the Brits have good taste (and sense). Shouldn’t be too soon before one of the ScamScum trolls gets on here and refutes the facts as they are want to do, after they restart their p.o.s. phone’s a couple times first that is.

  5. capdorf - 9 years ago

    Was looking and feeling the iPhones in store today, the 6, as well as being too wide and thin, is too slippery in the hand. The 5s is a much better size, better grip, but limited in usage compared to the 6. The 5c is good size and excellent grip, but as well as the limitations of the 5s it’s memory is useless. My 4s needs replacing soon, but what I want is a 6 minus, that feels like a 5c. What chance have I got?

    • Cun Con - 9 years ago

      “as the limitations of the 5s it’s memory is useless”: 5S has the same amount of memory as 6 and 6S which is 1GB RAM.
      What chance you have? Zero. Apple will probably not make the 4.7″ 6C next year unless you prefer 5.5″, there may be one as some predicted next year logistics (with vendor subsidy):

      5S = Free
      6 = $99
      6S 4.7″/6C 5.5″ = $199
      6+S (or New 6+) = $299

      So there could be 5.5″ 6C (6+ rebadged) next year due to all the bendgate hype and the New 6+ will have chassis reenforced to make it more rigid.
      When I look at the predicted line up above, I can see Apple will sell a lot iPhone at second tier ($199).

    • herb02135go - 9 years ago

      Check out the S5. Among other features the iphone still doesn’t have is expandable memory.
      Regardless of brand, Speck has some slim cases with texture that are very nice.

      With a case on the phone you don’t even realize what the phone is made of. Plastic is lighter and it doesn’t have the bending issues that we’ve been reading about.

      • Cun Con - 9 years ago

        Expandable memory, for what? Who stores picture and media in SD anymore. There’s cloud for these. External memory doesn’t work for Apps.
        Plastic is plastic…doesn’t mean that if you put it in the case, it’s no longer there. The the feeling that you have with the phone…just like you wear the fake Omega watch.
        Bending issue? where? from a few online idiots to defame Apple? LOL…you need to look at consumer reports for bending test on iPhone 6/6+.
        Now. let’s talk about touch screen sensitivity. I used both S4 and iPhone and I know touch response on galaxy phone sucks ball.

  6. Laughing_Boy48 - 9 years ago

    How could it be a top-seller in the UK? The moment it came out it was declared a sales failure. I mean, even more than most Apple products. After all, the 5c had a plastic case and we all know what plastic is… Crap… the ‘c’ in 5c stood for crap.

    /s

    • Cun Con - 9 years ago

      Plastic is really crap if we look at android phones…gosh I can’t stand the cheap feel of it. iPhone 5C has totally different feel…more rigid, refined and not cheap. I’m not biased but it’s really good use of polycarbonate chassis. Apple should use it for iPhone 6+ next year.

  7. webtools (@webtools5) - 9 years ago

    I like the iPhone 5c and i think the plastic back cover is more durable and you don’t even need a case for it!

  8. herb02135go - 9 years ago

    So, based on sales figures from ONLY the UK, sales figures are extrapolated foe the rest of the planet? Great “journalism” there.

  9. Oflife - 9 years ago

    It’s actually the best iPhone ever made from a practical standpoint: 1. Fast and of the same technical quality as the 5, but 2. In a case that is way more practical. 3. Comfortable, just like the original iPhone! (I have one on my desk.) Apple were mad to cripple it with 8GB recently, but they want you to buy a 6! When I heard they were going to scrap the larger capacity models, I rushed to my nearest Apple Store and bought a 32GB for my brother. In yellow. His choice. :P

    • Oflife - 9 years ago

      Omitted to mention my main point! The 5c is tough and doesn’t suffer the damage that any of the other iPhone models suffered from, 3/3G excluded. They bounce! Like a Samsung or Nokia!

    • iphonery - 9 years ago

      I agree! My son got a 5C last year and my wife got my old 5 the same time I got the 5s. The 5C felt good in the hands and seemed more speedier than the 5, even though I knew it had the same internal hardware.

  10. Xavier Milnič - 9 years ago

    Nothing is so best of the best.. New problem with new iPhone 6 :-/ http://youtu.be/Ra2_uR1_Ejs

    • Cun Con - 9 years ago

      Cracking body? It may be quality control issue, not design…Also, if you try to bend the phone right there and I believe the guy on Video did that, you crack open it. It’s normal because aluminum is more flexible than glass.

  11. PMJS (@ctukyoto) - 9 years ago

    I wonder how much enterprise accounts for this. My office replaced all our BlackBerry handsets with iPhone 5c units this year. They’re popular with people who use iPhones personally (which is most of the people in the office, and those who use Android seem to find it easier to use an iPhone for work than a BlackBerry) and they’re more durable which means they can be kept in good condition for multiple owners as staff come and go.

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Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.