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

Over the last year, however, large tech firms like Apple, Samsung, and Google have also started to release less-expensive versions of their flagship smartphones alongside their new premium models.

Apple launched the iPhone XR last year and the iPhone 11 in 2019, which it positioned as being its flagship offering for this year. Google released the $400 Pixel 3a in May, which inherited several features from the pricier Pixel 3, and Samsung debuted the cheaper $750 Galaxy S10e alongside the Galaxy S10 in February.

Such launches have likely been an effort to motivate consumers to upgrade as global smartphone shipments have dropped while customers hang onto their devices for longer periods of time. The popularity of devices like the iPhone XR is yet another sign that not everyone is willing to shell out upwards of $1,000 for top-of-the-line smartphones.