What you need to know

• A new report indicates that the Galaxy A-series smartphones were the most in-demand Samsung handsets last year.
• Counterpoint Research reports that the mid-rangers accounted for 59% of Samsung's smartphone sales in Q4 2021.
• The report comes just mere days before the anticipated Galaxy A53 and A73 announcements.

Samsung's Galaxy A-series phones (opens in new tab) accounted for the majority of its smartphone sales last year, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research, highlighting growing demand for the company's mid-range lineup.

As per Counterpoint Research, all throughout 2021, the Galaxy A devices made up 58% of Samsung's smartphone sales. Based on its Global Handset Model Sales Tracker, 59% of Samsung devices sold in the fourth quarter of 2021 were Galaxy A models.

The mid-range lineup also accounted for 56% of its sales in Q1, 60% in Q2, and 57% in Q3, suggesting strong demand for many of the best cheap Samsung phones (opens in new tab).

"The mid-end A-series has been the main workhorse across Samsung’s smartphone portfolio for the past few years," said Liz Lee, a senior analyst at Counterpoint.

Lee noted that mid-range devices represented nearly two-thirds of all Samsung smartphones sold in 2021, including the Galaxy A31 and Galaxy A32 (opens in new tab) devices.

"The devices have enjoyed broad appeal globally, doing well in diverse markets like North America, Western and Eastern Europe through to LATAM and MEA," Lee added.

The report is consistent with an earlier report from the research firm, indicating that the Galaxy A12 was the best-selling Android smartphone worldwide (opens in new tab) in 2021. This means the phone accounted for 2.0% of total smartphone sales last year.

Most notably, it was the only phone from the South Korean tech giant to make it onto Counterpoint's list of the top 10 best-selling smartphones.

Quite interestingly, the report comes just a few days before Samsung's next smartphone event (opens in new tab) on March 17, during which the Galaxy A53 5G and A73 5G are expected to make their debut.

Both devices have appeared in multiple leaks in recent months, with the Galaxy A53 (opens in new tab) apparently being powered by an Exynos 1200 chipset, paired with up to 8GB of RAM. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A73 (opens in new tab) will reportedly include the same Snapdragon 778G processor that's found on the Galaxy A52s 5G.

Lee said the upcoming devices will be crucial to Samsung's efforts to stay ahead of the competition.

"Beyond the numbers, the expected new devices—in particular the A73 5G—are important because they will compete directly with most affordable flagships from Chinese brands," she explained.