The Southeast Asian smartphone market grew by a modest 2.7% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2025, with total shipments reaching 25 million units, according to the International Data Corporation’s latest Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report. This uptick, as noted by IDC, was uneven across the region.

Transsion’s dominance in the Philippines

The Philippines was a standout performer, with its market recovering after a period of inventory adjustments and growing by an impressive 17.2% YoY.

Infinix, TECNO, and Itel‘s mother company, Transsion, solidified its leadership in the country, achieving a remarkable 53.4% YoY growth and capturing a 39.7% market share. This strong performance in the Philippines was a key factor that propelled Transsion to the No. 2 position in the overall Southeast Asian market.

While Transsion and other brands like Xiaomi (35.7% YoY growth) and Samsung (17.6% YoY growth) saw success in the Philippines, other major players faced significant challenges. Both vivo and realme saw their shipments decline by 21.9% and 17.1% YoY, respectively.

The IDC report

Samsung’s regional leadership and market trends

Across the broader Southeast Asian region, Samsung maintained its top position with a 15.9% unit shipment share. The company’s success was largely driven by the strong appeal of its affordable Galaxy A Series models. Meanwhile, the Malaysian market experienced robust 7.8% growth, fueled by a surge in demand for sub-$100 phones. In contrast, the markets in Indonesia and Vietnam saw shipments slip, with OPPO and vivo being particularly affected.

The Q2 2025 data reveals a tale of two markets. On one hand, cautious consumer sentiment led to a threefold YoY surge in the sub-$100 segment in some regions, as buyers opted for more affordable devices. On the other hand, the premium ($800+) segment grew by 49% YoY, driven by strong demand for Samsung’s Galaxy S25 and Apple’s iPhone 16 models. This indicates that consumers are either seeking budget-friendly options or are willing to spend more on higher-quality devices for longer usage.

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Alora Uy Guerrero

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Editor-in-chief: Alora Uy Guerrero has 22 years of experience as an editor for print and digital publications such as Yahoo. She took time off journalism to manage OPPO’s digital-marketing campaigns. When not busy with her babies, she’s working on Revü, a passion project — or probably traveling or obsessing over her favorite bands, movies, TV shows, and basketball teams.