The nine most activated smartphones at Christmas were iPhones

The iPhone 11 was the most activated device at Christmas, marking the second year in a row the model has taken first place, data from Flurry Analytics indicates. Activations for the specific model were 5% higher than the seven-day average between December 18 and 24.

Credit: Flurry Analytics

Activations for the iPhone 12 Pro Max were 14% higher than the previous seven-day average. The 6.7-inch model was the leading premium device and Flurry Analytics says its position illustrates the “strong and enduring demand” for the model.

The iPhone SE, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone 8 rounded out the top nine. The only non-Apple device on the list, the LG K30, came in at No. 10. Its activations were up 181% compared to the seven-day average.

According to Flurry Analytics, the success of inexpensive models like the iPhone SE suggests that American consumers have been much more price conscious during the 2020 holiday season. However, Apple’s cheapest model in the iPhone 12 lineup, the iPhone 12 mini, did not make the top 10.

The analytics firm notes that Apple’s higher-end devices tend to gain popularity at launch before being overtaken by cheaper models. Based on that, the activation percentages compared to the seven-day average would indicate the demand for holiday gifts, rather than the popularity of the model.

Flurry adds that smartphone activations decreased 23% year-over-year during the 2020 holiday season, compared to the 2019 holiday season.

Credit: Flurry Analytics

Christmas Day is the biggest day for smartphone activations in the US, giving analytics companies like Flurry the opportunity to analyze consumer demand and preferences. Flurry collects data from its Analytics APIs, which are used in more than a million applications.