It’s official: 2025 wasn’t just another year for the smartphone industry; it was the year the leaderboard finally flipped. After years of trading blows, Apple has overtaken Samsung to become the No. 1 smartphone player globally for the full year of 2025.
According to the latest data from Counterpoint Research, the global market grew by 2% year-on-year, signaling a much-needed recovery fueled by emerging markets and a huge upgrade cycle. While the industry returning to the green is a relief, that 2% growth takes a backseat to the upset on the leaderboard.
Apple secured the top spot with a 20% market share, finally dethroning Samsung. While we’re used to seeing the Silicon Valley heavyweight dominate the holiday quarters, sustaining that lead for a full calendar year is a significant shift. Apple’s 10% year-on-year growth wasn’t just about the iPhone 17 series — which we all saw everywhere in the fourth quarter — but also the longevity of the iPhone 16. The “older” model found a second wind in price-sensitive but premium-hungry markets like Japan, India, and Southeast Asia. If you were wondering why so many of your friends finally upgraded last year, this is exactly why.
Samsung slips to second place with a 19% share, but don’t count it out just yet. The South Korean technology giant still posted modest growth of 5% compared to the previous year. While it lost the volume crown, its strategy has clearly shifted. The refreshed Galaxy A series continued to do the heavy lifting in emerging markets, keeping the volume high even as Apple ate into the premium segment. Samsung is still the go-to for Android consistency, but it will need a serious answer to the iPhone’s momentum in 2026 if it wants that top spot back.
Rounding out the podium is Xiaomi, holding firm in third place with 13% of the market. The company has maintained its stronghold by doing what it does best: offering solid specs at aggressive price points. Xiaomi’s steady performance in key emerging markets kept it comfortable in the third position, acting as the reliable alternative to the Apple-Samsung duopoly. Following closely behind are vivo and OPPO, taking the fourth and fifth spots respectively. Both BBK Electronics brands have remained aggressive with their product mixes, balancing premium imaging flagships with budget-friendly drivers to move massive volumes across Asia and China.
What drove the numbers up in 2025? The answer is far from magical. Counterpoint points to a considerable replacement cycle as the primary driver. Remember the gadget buying spree during the pandemic? Those devices finally got too old, triggering a wave of upgrades in 2025. Coupled with improving economic momentum in regions outside the United States and Europe, and manufacturers pulling shipments forward to dodge potential tariff hikes, the industry finally found itself back in the green.
Before we pop the champagne, however, there is a catch. Counterpoint’s report ends with a warning for the year ahead, expecting the market to soften in 2026. The culprit is a shortage of memory chips. Chipmakers are pivoting hard to prioritize high-margin AI data centers over smartphone components, which means component costs are going up, and supply might get tight. If you grabbed an iPhone 17 or a new Galaxy last year, you timed it perfectly. For everyone else, 2026 might get a little more expensive.
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