Smartphone market 2025: Apple iPhone surpasses Samsung Galaxy as Nothing and Google see strong growth

Data compiled by Counterpoint Research shows that the global smartphone market grew by 2% in 2025, driven largely by rising demand in the premium segment. As the big winner of the previous year, Cupertino-based Apple sold 10% more iPhones than in 2024, marking the strongest growth amongst the top five phone makers.

Despite its relatively small phone lineup and upmarket pricing, Apple now holds a 20% share of the global smartphone market, overtaking Samsung for the top spot. Nevertheless, Samsung posted a respectable 5% growth, raising its market share to 19%. This increase is primarily driven by the popularity of the Galaxy A series. For example, the Samsung Galaxy A16 (approx. $125 on Amazon) is currently the world’s best-selling Android phone. Apple’s momentum appears to be accelerating: In the fourth quarter of 2025, the company achieved a 25% market share, whereas Samsung accounted for just 17% of global smartphone sales during the same period.

Xiaomi remains in third place with a 13% market share, followed by Oppo and Vivo at 8% each. Both Nothing and Google recorded substantial gains in 2025, shipping 31% and 25% more smartphones than in the previous year, respectively. Counterpoint Research expects the smartphone market to contract by 3% in 2026, with price increases caused by the DRAM crisis likely to play a major role in the decline.