Apple emerged as the global smartphone market leader in 2025, as worldwide smartphone shipments grew for the second consecutive year, posting a 2% year-on-year increase.
This is according to preliminary estimates from Counterpoint Research’s Market Monitor.
Apple overtook Samsung, which was the global leader in 2024.
The data shows that Apple not only retained leadership but also recorded the fastest growth among the top five smartphone brands, benefiting from premium demand and strong momentum in emerging markets.
The overall smartphone market maintained its growth trajectory throughout 2025, driven largely by premiumization supported by financing options, effective marketing, and rising adoption of 5G devices in developing regions.
What the data is saying
According to Counterpoint Research, Apple closed 2025 with a 20% share of global smartphone shipments, recording a 10% year-on-year growth — the highest among the top five brands.
- Samsung finished 2025 in second place with a 19% market share and 5% year-on-year growth, while Xiaomi, vivo, and OPPO followed behind.
- In Q4 2025 alone, Apple accounted for one-quarter of global smartphone shipments, marking its highest-ever quarterly market share.
Senior Analyst Varun Mishra attributed Apple’s performance to its expanding footprint in emerging and mid-sized markets, alongside a stronger product mix.
The iPhone 17 series gained significant traction in Q4 following its successful launch, while the iPhone 16 continued to perform strongly in key markets such as Japan, India, and Southeast Asia.
This dual momentum was further reinforced by the COVID-era upgrade cycle reaching an inflection point, as a large base of users became due for device replacement.
Market dynamics
Counterpoint noted that the global smartphone market continued its gradual shift toward higher price tiers in 2025, as consumers increasingly upgraded to premium devices.
At the same time, demand for 5G smartphones rose sharply across emerging markets.
Senior Analyst Shilpi Jain explained that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) front-loaded shipments in the first half of the year due to tariff-related concerns. However, as the year progressed, the impact of tariffs turned out to be milder than expected, limiting their effect on second-half shipment volumes.
- Regional performance remained uneven. Growth in markets such as Japan, the Middle East and Africa (MEA), and parts of Asia-Pacific helped offset weakness in more mature markets.
- In Q4 2025, overall shipments grew by a modest 1% year-on-year, weighed down by inventory built up earlier in the year, even as Apple led the quarter ahead of Samsung.
What you should know
In 2024, Nairametrics reported the global smartphone market experienced a long-awaited recovery, achieving 4% year-on-year growth after two consecutive years of decline.
That year, Samsung retained its position as the global market leader, driven by robust demand for its Galaxy S24 and A-series devices.
The Galaxy S24 series, Samsung’s first AI-centric smartphone, outperformed previous iterations and was especially popular in Western Europe and the U.S.
