- Apple is set to win 19.4% of smartphone sales in 2025
- That would put Apple right ahead of Samsung
- Samsung has held the top spot for the past 14 years
There’s a new smartphone sales champion for 2025: Apple will reportedly top the list of phone devices shipped globally this year, ending a 14-year streak with Samsung at the top spot.
This comes from analysts at Counterpoint (via The Verge), so those sales are still a prediction for now, but Apple is on track to shift 243 million phones by 2025, Counterpoint says, a 19.4% share of the overall market.
That would put Apple a single percentage point above Samsung, which is expected to end in 2025 having sold 235 million phones. Apple’s strong performance will help push smartphone sales up 3.3% year-on-year, the report says.
Stronger-than-expected demand for the iPhone 17 series is apparently part of the reason for Apple’s success. According to Counterpoint, Apple sold 12 percent more iPhone 17 and iPhone Air models compared to the four iPhone 16 phones in the same period — even factoring in the rumored weak sales of the iPhone Air.
iPhone demand will remain high
“Consumers who bought smartphones during the COVID-19 boom are now entering their upgrade phase,” says Counterpoint’s Yang Wang. “Furthermore, 358 million used iPhones were sold between 2023 and Q2 2025. These users are also likely to upgrade to a new iPhone in the coming years.”
A combination of these and other factors (including lower-than-expected tariffs) will likely continue to drive strong demand for iPhones in the coming months. Counterpoint reckons Apple can hold onto its top spot until 2029 – so your move, Samsung.
Samsung sales are said to be still up this year, especially in emerging and less developed markets, but not enough to take the top spot in smartphone sales – at least according to Counterpoint’s data, which is based on supply chain and retailer information.
The report also supports rumors that we’ll see both an iPhone 17e and a foldable iPhone sometime in 2026. We’ve also heard that Apple might push back on its iPhone launch schedule next year, with only the Pro versions of the iPhone 18 arriving in September.
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