New research claims that premium smartphones reached record sales in 2021, and that Apple's [iPhone](https://appleinsider.com/inside/iPhone) was the top seller in every territory.

![](https://photos5.appleinsider.com/gallery/47604-92940-000-lead-iPhone-xl.jpg)Counterpoint Research has previously reported that the iPhone [dominated North American](https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/03/17/iphone-dominates-north-america-western-europe-as-5g-surpasses-4g) smartphone sales, and that Apple sold [7 out of the 10](https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/03/08/apple-sold-7-out-of-the-10-best-selling-smartphones-worldwide-in-2021) best-selling smartphones worldwide in 2021. Now further research shows how the iPhone has fared in the rankings of premium phones in each region studied.According to Counterpoint Research, the [premium smartphone](https://www.counterpointresearch.com/global-premium-smartphone-market-2021/) market - defined as phones costing over $400 - grew 24% YoY in 2021. It's the highest ever growth for premium smartphones, and came as overall the smartphone market grew by 7% in the same period.