Apple's cheapest iPhone from 2018 was the most popular smartphone in the world this year, and it's further evidence that people are fed up with the high prices of new phones

• Apple's iPhone XR was the best-selling smartphone in the world during the third quarter of 2019, according to Counterpoint Research.
• The iPhone XR is the less-expensive alternative to Apple's flagship iPhones from 2018, which was priced at $750 when it launched.
• Other mid-tier smartphones from Samsung also made Counterpoint's list of the best-selling smartphones, providing further evidence that people aren't always willing to pay around $1,000 for a new smartphone.
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The best-selling smartphone in the world in the third quarter of 2019 wasn't Samsung's recently launched Galaxy S10 or Apple's flagship iPhone.

Rather, it was the iPhone XR, the least expensive smartphone from Apple's 2018 lineup that was priced at $750 at launch and now sells for $600, according to Counterpoint Research.

The iPhone XR captured 3% of the market during that three-month period, and it's also been the top-selling smartphone every quarter since the fourth quarter of 2018, Counterpoint Research's report says. Sales of the iPhone XR also accounted for over a quarter of Apple's smartphone sales during the fourth quarter of 2019, according to the report.

The iPhone XR's top spot on Counterpoint Research's compilation of the 10 best-selling smartphones of the quarter speaks to a broader trend that's noticeable throughout the list. Most of the phones that made the cut are mid-tier smartphones that are less expensive than their flagship counterparts. Phones from Samsung's more affordable Galaxy A series ranked among the best-selling phones of the quarter, for example, while none of the products from the Galaxy S10 family made the list. Apple's iPhone 11, which costs roughly $300 less than the iPhone 11 Pro, also made the ranking.

Part of the reason why these lower-end phones are selling so well is because features from more premium phones are starting to trickle down to cheaper devices, Counterpoint's report says. Take the Samsung Galaxy A50, for example. The $350 smartphone comes with features that have been billed as selling points for more expensive models, like a triple-lens camera and an edge-to-edge screen.

The iPhone 11 similarly has a nearly borderless screen, an ultra-wide-angle camera, and the same processor that powers its pricier Pro siblings. Other phones that made the list include devices from Oppo's A series, Xiaomi's Redmi 7a, and the Huawei P30.