We’re looking at an analyst report, so it goes without saying that these numbers should be taken with a fairly large rock of salt. That said, this report reinforces a handful of other sales reports and anecdotal examinations of the mobile market. Manufacturers go to great lengths to hide actual sales data these days. Shareholders don’t seem much interested in facts, as much as they are the perception of the brand, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t dig a little deeper.

Flurry Analytics published a report on device activations in North America over the month of December, focusing on the lead up to Christmas day, and how those activations changed from Christmas to New Years.

Out of all the individual brands sold in this region, it’s not too surprising that Apple topped the charts. Overall, Android outsold iOS, but only one company makes iPhones. Apple significantly outsold every other phone manufacturer this year.

What is surprising is the breakdown on the most popular iPhones activated over the holidays.

Every year, new gadgets arrive. The tech industry goes crazy with each new product launch. Before the sheen can fade, before we get a chance to see if the product actually lives up to the company’s marketing claims, we’re off on the next new exciting dopamine hit product announcement.

Apple made huge claims this year for the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro. Tech outlets ran heavy Apple coverage. Apple dominates as one of the most visibly advertised brands in the country. There’s a self-reinforcing spiral of popularity around Apple. People search for iPhone coverage because iPhones are popular. iPhones are popular because people search for iPhone coverage.

If you’re a new YouTuber, building a channel all around Apple products is an easy way to leverage trending topics to grow your fan base fast. If you’re an established channel, you know you’ll get more traffic for your effort focusing on the most popular brands. More traffic, more ads, more cash.

But what about “Average” Consumers?

Are they buying this hype? Like literally buying it? With their actual money?

According to Flurry Analytics, Apple captured 42.8% of the carrier activations in December.

Of that, 6% came from the iPhone 11, and it was the most sold iPhone of the month. The iPhone 11 Pro Max made up 3%. The iPhone 11 Pro doesn’t track in the top ten Apple devices sold.

The second place most activated iPhone? 2018’s iPhone XR.

The iPhone 7 and 8 outsold the 11 Pro Max. The iPhone 8 Plus was immediately behind Apple’s 2019 “pro” phone.

For all the hype. Tons of videos. The most popular phones of the holiday season were cheaper or older.

This isn’t unique to Apple. It’s a continuing trend across the entire market. Samsung wonderfully refined the Galaxy A series, and Google about doubled the entire number of Pixels in the wild with the 3A. We saw increased competition from mid-ranger phones, while consumers also shopped older premium options.

Tech Reviewers Increasingly Out of Touch

Review sites and channels are dominated by the most expensive options available. The common wisdom is that those premium devices bring in the most searches, so more editorial effort is placed on covering those products. Over the last 10 years though, the audience for this content has shifted significantly.

When I started writing about tech back in the Palm vs Windows Mobile PDA days, mobile computing was new and unique. There was a consumer need to break down differences between products in detail. A review was as much an examination of a product as it was an educational piece about a bleeding edge technology.

Today, phones are a commodity. Consumers don’t really need much help explaining away the basics of a mobile pocket computer.

The average length of time someone might keep a smartphone is around 28 months. Many people are holding onto phones for over three years. If reviewers were really satisfying a consumer need, average consumers would only be reading through those reviews every two and half years or so.

The tech review landscape has shifted towards infotainment. Reviews serve to confirm as much as inform.

Reading through the comments on popular sites, you’re more likely to hear from people who already purchased the phone being reviewed, than people earnestly looking for a purchasing recommendation. In a review market like this, it’s important to cater to the larger audience seeking out those “review confirmations”.

This content is made more for the people who actively participate, comment, and share. Participation “guides” the tone of the review more than the people passively reading an article to guide a purchase every two years.

This echo chamber effect reinforces lopsided coverage. A majority of effort is placed on the top premium end of the market, and the true “bread and butter” daily driver fare is relegated to side content. The tech community is so out of touch with general consumers, it was a genuine shock to numerous reviewers when the Pixel 3A sold well.

We’re not judging good phones on their merit. We’re declaring phones “good” when they satisfy our analytics.

We’ve Lost the Plot

It’s a shame.

Consumers don’t really turn to tech enthusiasts for help anymore. I can’t say I blame them.

If you were using a Galaxy S7 or iPhone 7, and wanted to look up some phone reviews in 2019, how confident would you be in the advice from the tech community? Maybe you start with YouTube reviews? Where you find thumbnail after thumbnail looking like terrible Clash of Clans icons.

Would you trust your cash to that kind of “advice”?

Maybe the most frustrating aspect of this divide, smartphone reviews still typically focus on an “average user” experience. The smartphone basics. Opening a couple apps. Taking a couple casual snapshots. How the phone feels in the hand.

There’s precious little discussion of more aggressive use, laptop/desktop displacement, pro content creation, or any other heavy lifting outside of a little gaming.

We review at a basic level, yet the majority of coverage goes to devices over $500, and a significant chunk of that above $700. This will only get more lopsided as 5G and folding phones arrive in 2020 and beyond.

We’re kicking off the new year. We’re ready for multiple announcements and product launches at the bleeding edge of our industry. As I look at a desk covered in PREMIUM phones. It’s important to remember that not as many people live in this premium space as our YouTube metrics might indicate.