What could have been the most popular smartphone in 2016? Does it come from the American giant Apple or South Korean phone manufacturer Samsung?

As a number of new phone models flooded the market last year, consumers may have different guesses on which manufacturers have been successful in eating the biggest portion of the pie. The brand of the world's most popular smartphone in 2016 has finally been revealed.

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According to research firm IHS Markit, Apple's iPhone 6S snatched the top spot in terms of popularity. Introduced in 2015, the phone model was able to ship 60 million units in 2016.

Sitting in the second spot was another smartphone variant from the Cupertino, California-based multi-national company. The research firm said that Apple's iPhone 7 recorded a shipment of more than 50 million last year. Meanwhile, the iPhone 7 Plus model came in third with 25 million units sold and the iPhone 6S Plus at third place recording "slightly less" shipment.  

The same study disclosed that Samsung also had two models which were included in the top 10 list of the most popular smartphone in 2016. The Asian manufacturer's Galaxy S7 Edge placed fifth, while its other variant, the Galaxy S7, followed in sixth place. Both phones were released in March 2016.

Despite making it to the top spot, the report suggested that iPhone 7 still performed better than its predecessor iPhone 6s. It was explained that it took longer for the latter to generate higher sales, while the former only had the entire fourth quarter of 2016 to record such shipment.

"Apple again has demonstrated that its new iPhones integrate enough innovations and new features to drive sales and remain successful in the market," IHS said about the most popular smartphone in 2016. "The company is also capable of selling older devices for an extended period of time. For instance, the year-old iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were both among the most-shipped models in 2016."