Apple didn’t just win 2025. It did it in a market that was supposed to be Samsung’s to lose.
Apple emerged as the global smartphone market leader in 2025, capturing a 20% market share with 10% year-over-year shipment growth — the highest among the top five brands, according to Counterpoint Research. MacRumors That translated to a record 240.6 million units shipped. TelecomLead
Samsung held second place with a 19% share, followed by Xiaomi at 13%.
What Drove the Numbers
The broader market grew 2% year-over-year in 2025, marking the second consecutive year of growth. Counterpoint attributed this to more consumers using financing options to upgrade to premium devices, and rising 5G adoption in emerging markets. MacRumors
For Apple specifically, two forces aligned.
Apple’s growth was driven by its expanding presence and rising demand across emerging and mid-size markets, supported by a stronger product mix, according to Counterpoint senior analyst Varun Mishra. MacRumors On top of that, the pandemic-era upgrade cycle reached an inflection point, with millions of users due for device replacement. MacRumors
The iPhone 17 series saw particularly high demand in Southeast Asia, Japan, and Mainland China, where Apple posted 26% growth in the final quarter. TelecomLead
Q4 Was a Record Quarter
For Q4 2025 specifically, Apple accounted for a full quarter of global smartphone shipments — its highest-ever share — with Samsung in second at 17%. AppleInsider
The tariff situation that manufacturers feared heading into 2025 turned out to be less damaging than expected. Tariff-related concerns prompted manufacturers to front-load shipments in the first half of the year, but as 2025 advanced, the impact proved milder than anticipated, curbing their influence on second-half volumes. Telecoms.com
Q1 2026: Apple Makes History Again
The momentum didn’t stop at year-end.
Apple led the global smartphone market in Q1 2026 for the first time in any opening quarter on record, according to preliminary data from Counterpoint Research — even as a severe shortage of memory components pushed overall industry shipments sharply lower. News Ghana
Global smartphone shipments fell 6% year-on-year in Q1 2026, driven by shortages of DRAM and NAND flash memory. Apple led the quarter with 21% market share, growing 5% year-on-year, supported by strong iPhone 17 demand, proactive supply chain management, and improved performance in China. News Ghana
Apple posted a 23% surge in China smartphone sales in the first nine weeks of 2026. News Ghana
Samsung’s shipments declined 6% year-on-year in Q1 2026, leaving the company with a 20% market share, as a delayed Galaxy S26 launch and weakness in entry-level devices weighed on volumes. News Ghana
One note: not every research firm agrees on the rankings. Omdia placed Samsung back at the top of the Q1 2026 rankings, with Apple in second, citing resilient flagship demand and strong Galaxy S26 pre-orders. The competing findings reflect the methodological differences common in preliminary market estimates. Apple World
The Road Ahead Is Bumpier
Despite Apple’s strong run, the outlook for the rest of 2026 is more cautious.
Counterpoint’s research director Tarun Pathak said the global smartphone market is set to soften in 2026 amid DRAM and NAND shortages and rising component costs, as chipmakers prioritize AI data centers over smartphones. The firm revised its 2026 forecast downward by 3%, though Apple and Samsung are expected to remain more resilient than others due to stronger supply chain capabilities. MacRumors
IDC also flagged that Apple’s strategic shift of its next base iPhone model from fall 2026 to early 2027 could pull down iOS shipments by 4.2% in the year ahead. IDC
The chip shortage reshaping the smartphone supply chain isn’t going away quickly. But Apple enters this period from a position few competitors can match — holding the top spot across both annual rankings and a historically strong opening quarter, with its premium positioning and supply chain depth working as a buffer against the pressures hitting the broader market.
