iPhone Shipments Up 13% Amid Global Smartphone Market Slowdown

[MacRumors]

Apple achieved impressive 13% year-over-year growth in Q1 2025, shipping 55 million iPhones worldwide and increasing its global market share to 19%, up from 16% a year ago, according to the latest Canalys research.

Apple's performance is in stark contrast to the broader smartphone market, which recorded just 0.2% growth with 296.9 million units shipped globally.

Samsung maintained its lead with 60.5 million units and 20% market share, but it grew only 1% compared to last year. Xiaomi secured third place with 41.8 million units, followed by vivo and OPPO with about 8% market share each.

The U.S. smartphone market was a bright spot, growing 12% year-on-year, mainly driven by iPhone sales. According to Le Xuan Chiew of Canalys, "Apple proactively built up inventory ahead of anticipated tariff policies," which helped it lead the pack.

Apple has been diversifying production recently by ramping up iPhone manufacturing in India for both standard iPhone 15 and 16 models, as well as iPhone 16 Pro models. Ongoing fluctuations in reciprocal tariff policies are making Apple further shift U.S.-bound production to India to reduce exposure to future risks.

There was a lot of variation in regional demand in Q1. The U.S. market grew substantially and China benefited from government subsidies, but previously strong markets like India, Latin America, and the Middle East had notable declines.

Canalys expects the U.S. smartphone market to experience significant volatility over the next two to three quarters, due to inventory corrections and weakening consumer confidence in the face of fluctuating import tariffs.

Article Link: iPhone Shipments Up 13% Amid Global Smartphone Market Slowdown

 

[wbeasley]

perhaps coming year is going to be more of a challenge with tariff issues...

 

[Veinticinco]

"There are lies, damn lies, and statistics".

 

[contacos]

Well didn’t Apple ship tons of iPhones to avoid the tariffs

 

[Aeronauts]

It would be interesting to see what happened if those Chinese brands were able to sell their phones in the US.

 

[MLVC]

...mainly driven by iPhone sales

I do wonder what other part has been driving the smartphone sales of Apple. Do they sell another smartphone besides the iPhone or, and that's my guess, is this sloppy writing?

Edit: or sloppy reading on my part

 

[darngooddesign]

...mainly driven by iPhone sales

I do wonder what other part has been driving the smartphone sales of Apple. Do they sell another smartphone besides the iPhone or, and that's my guess, is this sloppy writing?

The subject of that sentence is the 'U.S. smartphone market' so I don't think sloppy writing is the problem.

 

[neuropsychguy]

...mainly driven by iPhone sales

I do wonder what other part has been driving the smartphone sales of Apple. Do they sell another smartphone besides the iPhone or, and that's my guess, is this sloppy writing?

Are you talking about this sentence? "The U.S. smartphone market was a bright spot, growing 12% year-on-year, mainly driven by iPhone sales."

That's saying the whole U.S. smartphone market had 12% growth in smartphone sales [across all brands]. Apple's 13% growth was a major component of the U.S. growth.

Not sloppy writing, probably just reading/skimming too quickly! We all do it.

 

[ab2c4]

Well didn’t Apple ship tons of iPhones to avoid the tariffs

That's what I was thinking also. If so, upcoming quarters might not look as good.

 

[I7guy]

Down in china but up globally.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Shipments does not equal sales. Like was stated above, Apple flew 5 cargo jets of iPhones to the US before the tariffs kicked in this past quarter. I'm guessing a lot of the "good news" here is just tons of iPhones sitting in warehouses now.

 

[webkit]

It would be interesting to see what happened if those Chinese brands were able to sell their phones in the US.

It would be interesting to see what happened if China didn't impose restrictions on iPhone usage/ownership by government officials and employees of state-owned enterprises. China also puts restrictions on some iPhone features (such as those related to Apple Intelligence) which can make the phones less appealing.

 

[StoneJack]

It would be interesting to see what happened if China didn't impose restrictions on iPhone usage/ownership by government officials and employees of state-owned enterprises. China also puts restrictions on some iPhone features (such as those related to Apple Intelligence) which can make the phones less appealing.

yep, its mutual

 

[ImAlwaysRight]

Apple consumers saw that iPhone 17 camera bar and decided to go with the iPhone 16/Pro.

 

[klasma]

Apple consumers saw that iPhone 17 camera bar and decided to go with the iPhone 16/Pro.

As far as actual sales are concerned (as opposed to shipments), it’s probably mainly due to the newly released 16e.

 

[svish]

Good for Apple. Expecting higher sales later this year with the base models of iPhone 17 getting 120Hz. But it will be interesting to see how Apple will price the new iPhones.

 

[russell_314]

Well didn’t Apple ship tons of iPhones to avoid the tariffs

Smartphones and some other consumer electronics are exempt from the tariffs

 

[russell_314]

As far as actual sales are concerned (as opposed to shipments), it’s probably mainly due to the newly released 16e.

So you think the 16e was a hit? A lot of people on the forums complained about it, but this is a big group of tech nerds. I think the target audience for the 16e doesn’t come on these forms. I almost bought it but waiting for what the 17 Air is going to look like. I’m not so much interested in a cheaper phone, but rather a lighter phone.

 

[klasma]

Smartphones and some other consumer electronics are exempt from the tariffs

That was decided only after Apple had already panic-shipped a couple of cargo flights.

 

[ab2c4]

Smartphones and some other consumer electronics are exempt from the tariffs

No they aren't, Trump said they will still fall under a tariff just a slightly different one than the main tariff.

 

[russell_314]

That was decided only after Apple had already panic-shipped a couple of cargo flights.

Oh, I’m sure everyone did that. That would be the smart thing to do just in case. It’s not like they won’t sell later.

No they aren't, Trump said they will still fall under a tariff just a slightly different one than the main tariff.

They might fall under some existing tariffs, but they’re exempt from the crazy new tariffs Trump put on everything

 

[klasma]

So you think the 16e was a hit?

Yes, there were previous reports that it is selling well. How much a role in that corporate purchases have is unclear, though we have threads in this forum that show there are many happy regular buyers as well. I personally think it's a bit overpriced for the feature set.

 

[russell_314]

Yes, there were previous reports that it is selling well. How much a role in that corporate purchases have is unclear, though we have threads in this forum that show there are many happy regular buyers as well.

I wonder how many corporate buyers would choose this because it’s a no-frills iPhone. As to consumers I suspect the target audience just wants an iPhone and doesn’t care about photos at night or all the extra crazy stuff.

I personally think it's a bit overpriced for the feature set.

I agree, but I think this applies to every Apple product with one exception. The base model Mac mini. When you buy an Apple product, you’re not just paying for the physical hardware but rather, support, those fancy stores and even advertising. Just think when you pay $200 for a $30 pair of Nike or Adidas shoes. Sure they are extremely overpriced but having your favorite basketball star wear them isn’t cheap 😂

 

[jamezr]

iPhone sales are up in the US market YoY for Q1. The difference from last year was the release of the cheaper iPhone 16e

 

[klasma]

I wonder how many corporate buyers would choose this because it’s a no-frills iPhone.

They choose it because it's the cheapest option for an iPhone that will be supported for the next 5-7 years. Previously they bought the SE.