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Apple Tops 2025 Smartphone Market With 20% Share, 10% Growth

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Apple emerged as the global smartphone market leader in 2025, capturing a 20% market share with 10% year-over-year shipment growth – the highest among the top five brands, according to data released today by Counterpoint Research.

iPhone-Mat-Apple-Store.jpg

Global smartphone shipments grew 2% year-over-year in 2025, marking the second consecutive year of growth. Counterpoint said the market was driven by more consumers taking advantage of financing options to upgrade to premium devices, as well as increasing adoption of 5G devices in emerging markets.

Samsung ranked second behind Apple with a 19% market share and modest 5% shipment growth, while Xiaomi retained third place with 13% share.

"Apple's growth in 2025 was driven by its expanding presence and rising demand across emerging and mid-size markets, supported by a stronger product mix," said Counterpoint senior analyst Varun Mishra.

"The iPhone 17 series gained significant traction in Q4 following its successful launch, while the iPhone 16 continued to perform exceptionally well in Japan, India and Southeast Asia."

Apple's performance was said to have been amplified by the pandemic-era upgrade cycle reaching an inflection point, with millions of users due for device replacement. In Q4 2025, Apple accounted for one-quarter of global shipments, its highest-ever quarterly share, according to the report.

While U.S. tariff concerns prompted manufacturers to front-load shipments in the first half of the year, the impact actually proved milder than anticipated, and the effects on second-half volumes were limited.

counterpoint-smartphone-market-share-2025.jpg

However, Counterpoint's outlook for 2026 is more conservative. "The global smartphone market is set to soften in 2026 amid DRAM/NAND shortages and rising component costs, as chipmakers prioritize AI data centers over smartphones," said Counterpoint research director Tarun Pathak. The firm has subsequently revised its 2026 forecast downward by 3%, although Apple and Samsung are expected to remain resilient thanks to their stronger supply chain capabilities.

Article Link: Apple Tops 2025 Smartphone Market With 20% Share, 10% Growth
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/01/12/apple-tops-2025-smartphone-market/
If you search "Samsung" on Amazon where I live, the first result is 107€ (102$ + taxes).
And their flagships depreciate like milk.
In many markets, people rarely spend more than $300 on a phone that's not an iPhone.
I don't think this chart makes it clear enough but Apple is still pretty much dominating.
 
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headlessmike said:
I guess Apple really is doomed.
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JoeSilver said:
Apple is doomed... (preceded)
Click to expand...
Tim Cook should retire like everybody always says on this forum.
Apple isn't innovating anymore and we all know that's what matters for corporations.
It doesn't matter if the company's revenue quadrupled and its value grew 10 times while he was CEO: if you don't innovate, people on forums will get mad and you have to leave, that's the rule.
 
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That’s what people don’t get on forums. Logic beats emotions.
Logic can drive others emotions.
Logic generates revenue
 
I love my iPhone 17 Pro. The battery is significantly better. For the first time, it actually lasts all day
 
"Apple's performance was said to have been amplified by the pandemic-era upgrade cycle reaching an inflection point, with millions of users due for device replacement."

Anyone know what time is considered to be 'due for a device replacement'? 4 years? 5 years?
 
Apple better slow it down and stop producing products and services people like. They may be in for new round of worldwide regulation.
 
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With one good reason: the overwhelming success of the "regular" iPhone 17. Adding LTPO VRR display was a huge benefit to that phone and why it became a huge seller in China particularly.
 
2low_tech said:
True, but “android” is not a smartphone company. And this report is about sales of devices, not sales of operating systems.
Click to expand...

Also Android is not sold anyway, it's just a vehicle to Google services, so the real winners here are Google and Apple. And Samsung makes most of the important hardware for both of them.

This is why we only really have those three plus a bunch of niche devices. Nobody else is in a position to make that kind of money.
 
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CarAnalogy said:
Also Android is not sold anyway, it's just a vehicle to Google services, so the real winners here are Google and Apple. And Samsung makes most of the important hardware for both of them.

This is why we only really have those three plus a bunch of niche devices. Nobody else is in a position to make that kind of money.
Click to expand...
Xiaomi seems to be making some money. I’m curious if the other Chinese brands are making money
 
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cicalinarrot said:
If you search "Samsung" on Amazon where I live, the first result is 107€ (102$ + taxes).
And their flagships depreciate like milk.
In many markets, people rarely spend more than $300 on a phone that's not an iPhone.
I don't think this chart makes it clear enough but Apple is still pretty much dominating.
Click to expand...

Counterpoint does release market share by price (for example, over $600) and Apple does, in fact, completely dominate.
 
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