Since its invention in 1983, the handheld mobile phone has truly conquered the world. Over 7 billion mobile phones have been sold all over the world ever since. This means that the number of sold mobile phones has reached around the same of number of human beings currently in existence. The popularity of the mobile phone is perhaps only matched by the popularity of the car and the computer.
Wherever there is a popular product, there is also a huge market. And the market for mobile phones is especially competitive with plenty of new phones being released each year. 10 phones in particular had a great global impact and are now known as the 10 best-selling mobile phones in history. The following ranking shows you which phones made the list based on their worldwide sales numbers.
The 10 Best-selling Mobile Phones in History
1. Nokia 1100
Production years: 2003 – 2009
Worldwide sales: ~ 255 million
Released in 2003, Nokia’s 1100 model truly revolutionized the world of mobile phones in the first decade of the 21st Century. While it didn’t feature any remarkable innovations compared to its predecessors or phones of different brands, it proved one thing: Mobile phones don’t have to be expensive. The Nokia 1100 was very affordable and by that ultimately turned the mobile phone into a mass product. Unsurprinsingly, the 1100 was especially popular in poorer, developing nations. In the 6 years of its production, it managed to sell around 255 million times all over the world, making it still the best-selling mobile phone in history.
2. Nokia 1110
Production years: 2005 – 2007
Worldwide sales: ~ 250 million
Nokia’s 1110 model was directly inspired by the success of the 1100. It did offer some improved features compared to the 1100, like support for mp3 ringtones. But otherwise the 1110 was mostly similar to the 1100. It was also low-priced and therefore also especially targeted low-income households as well as low-income countries all around the world. Considering the Nokia 1110 was only produced for 2 years, from 2005 to 2007, its global sales number of 250 million is even more impressive than that of the 1100 model.
3. Apple iPhone 6
Production years: 2014 – 2016
Worldwide sales: ~ 220 million
Apple’s iPhone 6 is the third best-selling mobile phone to date, proving that high-priced phones can be quite popular as well. The iPhone 6 was Apple’s eight generation smartphone and the most successful iPhone in the entire iPhone family. Released in 2014, the model significantly improved its camera quality, WiFi and LTE connectivity as well as battery life. During its production years between 2014 and 2016 it sold around 220 million times worldwide, making it the best-selling smartphone in history.
4. Nokia 3210
Production years: 1999 – 2000
Worldwide sales: ~ 160 million
There is no doubt that the Finnish brand Nokia shaped the worldwide market for mobile phones like no other company during the late 1990s and 2000s. The Nokia 3210 was perhaps the most influential model Nokia has ever produced. Released in 1999, the phone featured truly cutting-edge technology, most notably the internal antenna. From today’s perspective a standard, but back then a technological revolution.
The 3210 was also the first mobile phone that specifically targeted younger people and featured 3 pre-installed games on the phone, most notably the game “Snake” which became an almost legendary trademark Nokia game in the following years. Despite being only in production for around a year, the Nokia 3210 sold approximately 160 million times around the world.
5. Nokia 1200
Production years: 2007 – 2010
Worldwide sales: ~ 155 million
And yet another Nokia phone in the ranking. It really gives you a good idea on how much Nokia dominated the global mobile phone market in the pre-Smartphone era. The Nokia 1200 however also marked the end of that era of Nokia dominance. After the last production year of the 1200 in 2010, Nokia fell harshly behind Smartphone giants Apple, Samsung and Huawei, which took over the torch from Nokia and now dominate the worldwide mobile phone market between themselves.
6. (tied) Nokia 6600 & Nokia 5230 & Samsung E1100
Production years:
Nokia 6600: 2003 – 2007
Nokia 5230: 2009 – 2011
Samsung E1100: 2009 – 2011
Worldwide sales: ~ 150 million each
7. Nokia 2600
Production years: 2004 – 2006
Worldwide sales: ~ 135 million
8. (tied) Motorola Razr V3 & Nokia 1600
Production years:
Motorola Razr V3: 2004 – 2008
Nokia 1600: 2005 – 2007
Worldwide sales: ~ 130 million each
9. Nokia 3310
Production years: 2000 – 2003 (+ relaunch in 2017)
Worldwide sales: ~ 125 million
10. Nokia 1208
Production years: 2007 – 2009
Worldwide sales: ~ 100 million
Top 10 Best-selling Mobile Phones in History
(at a glance)
(as of December 2019)
| Top 10 Best-Selling Mobile Phones of All Time: |
|---|
| 1. NOKIA 1100 Worldwide sales: ~ 255 million |
| 2. NOKIA 1110 Worldwide sales: ~ 250 million |
| 3. APPLE iPHONE 6 Worldwide sales: ~ 220 million |
| 4. NOKIA 3210 Worldwide sales: ~ 160 million |
| 5. NOKIA 1200 Worldwide sales: ~ 155 million |
| 6. (tied) NOKIA 6600 & NOKIA 5230 & SAMSUNG E1100 Worldwide sales: ~ 150 million each |
| 7. NOKIA 2600 Worldwide sales: ~ 135 million |
| 8. (tied) MOTOROLA RAZR V3 & NOKIA 1600 Worldwide sales: ~ 130 million each |
| 9. NOKIA 3310 Worldwide sales: ~ 125 million |
| 10. NOKIA 1208 Worldwide sales: ~ 100 million |