When the latest iPhone ships this Friday, it will likely become the world’s best-selling smartphone, again.
Apple’s iPhones have consistently hogged the top spots over the years, as illustrated by this timely report from Counterpoint Research. And with record-breaking preorders in China, we’ll no doubt see the iPhone 17 models leading the charts soon.
My bet is on the iPhone 17, which finally got a larger and brighter 120Hz ProMotion display, as well as an upgraded ultra-wide camera. Despite offering more storage this year (256GB instead of 128GB), the iPhone 17 launches at the same price (S$1,299 in Singapore) as its predecessor. What’s not to like?
But my instincts aren’t always spot-on. I felt that the iPhone Plus was a viable option, especially for mainstream users. I even suggested that Google should consider having a similar Plus option for its standard Pixel model. But it turns out there weren’t enough takers for the iPhone Plus.
Despite making Counterpoint Research’s top 10 best-selling list, the Plus model was always behind the rest of the iPhones by a significant gap. Its highest-ever position in the list was 8th in Q1 2024 for the iPhone 15 Plus.
Apple has seemingly replaced the Plus model with the iPhone Air, which couldn’t be more different. While the Air has a somewhat large 6.5-inch display, it’s significantly thinner and lighter. The iPhone Air also boasts the same flagship A19 Pro chip as the iPhone Pro models, though its single Fusion camera is closer in capability to the standard iPhone 17.
With these attributes, the iPhone Air appears to target casual users who want the performance of the Pro phones, but in a more portable form factor. They probably don’t care too much about smartphone photography. And given the relatively slim battery in the Air, mobile gaming is probably not a top priority, either.
This approach mirrors that of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which has a flagship display and processor that rivals the premium Galaxy S25 Ultra. The Edge, though, inherited the Ultra’s excellent 200MP main camera. It’s yet another front in the Apple and Samsung smartphone rivalry that I’ll be watching with interest.
Initial sales of the Galaxy S25 Edge apparently beat expectations, so perhaps there is a market for such ultra-thin phones. Maybe the iPhone Air will last longer than the three generations afforded to the iPhone Plus models.
Interestingly, for Q2 2025, the top-selling model from Samsung, which had four phones in the top 10, was the budget Galaxy A16 5G (S$318) in 4th spot. The 4G version (S$288) was in 7th, which was one higher than Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S25 Ultra. That’s a stark contrast with the premium iPhones taking the top three positions. But it’s a familiar story: iPhones for the well-off and Android phones for the rest.
Anyway, stay tuned for our reviews of the latest Apple devices, coming very soon to canbuyornot.com. Meanwhile, we recently tried the latest entry in the Borderlands franchise, tested a stunning 34-inch curved gaming monitor, and watched too much Succession on Sony’s latest Bravia 8 II QD-OLED TV.
Borderlands 4 is facing a backlash because of performance issues on PCs. However, if you do have a capable PC, the game itself is mostly fun, with some frustrating moments due to how the campaign changes how it scales the enemies. As usual, there’s plenty of loot in this shooter, boss fights are lots of fun, and there’s some welcomed quality-of-life improvements.
Looking for a large curved monitor that doesn’t sacrifice visuals for performance, and is also not priced exorbitantly? Consider the 34-inch Prism+ 34G1X Pro, which has a 1800R curvature, a 240Hz refresh rate, and rich vibrant colours with the perfect blacks that you only get with an OLED screen. Lastly, it’s reasonably priced at around S$1,200.
The Sony Bravia 8 II is one of the best OLED TVs you can buy now. Picture quality is excellent as usual, while the speakers are great for a TV. But it still has certain flaws, like having just two HDMI 2.1 ports. More importantly, the price is also more accessible, and more competitive than before.