-xl.jpg "The nine best smartphones that were activated at Christmas were iPhones")
Among the top ten smartphone models activated on Christmas Day 2020 were nine from Apple’s iPhone, with the iPhone 11 the crown.
The data from Flurry Analytics indicates that the iPhone 11 was the most activated device at Christmas. This is the second consecutive year that the model has taken first place. Activations for the specific model were 5% higher than the seven-day average between December 18 and December 24.
Credit: Flurry Analytics
Activation for the iPhone 12 Pro Max was 14% higher than the previous seven-day average. The 6.7-inch model was the leading premium device, and Flurry Analytics says its position illustrates the ‘strong and long-standing demand’ for the model.
The iPhone SE, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 rounded out the top nine. The only non-Apple device on the list, the LG K30, came in at number 10. Its activation increased by 181% compared to the seven-day average.
According to Flurry Analytics, the success of budget-friendly models such as the iPhone SE indicates that US consumers were much more price-conscious during the 2020 holiday season. However, Apple’s cheapest model in the iPhone 12 series, the iPhone 12 mini, did not break the top 10.
The research firm does note that Apple’s leading devices tend to become popular quickly during launch before being overtaken by cheaper models. Based on that, the activation percentages compared to the average of seven days will indicate the demand for holiday gifts, rather than the popularity of the model.
It is also not clear when the devices were purchased, only when they were activated. As a result, activation on Christmas Day may be more indicative of shipping in early December than demand closer to the holidays.
Flurry adds that smartphone activations decreased by 23% during the 2020 holidays compared to the 2019 holiday period.
Credit: Flurry Analytics
Christmas Day is the biggest day for smartphone activations in the US, giving analytics firms like Flurry the opportunity to analyze demand and consumer preferences. Flurry collects data from its analytics APIs, which are used in more than one million applications.