- Apple will capture 19.4% of smartphone sales in 2025
- I would put Apple just ahead of Samsung
- Samsung has maintained the first position for the last 14 years
There’s about to be a new smartphone sales champion by 2025: Apple will reportedly top the rankings for phone units shipped globally this year, ending a 14-year streak of Samsung holding the number one spot.
This comes from analysts at Counterpoint (via The Verge), so these sales remain a prediction for now, but Apple is on track to sell 243 million phones in 2025, Counterpoint says, a 19.4% share of the overall market.
It would put Apple a single percentage point ahead of Samsung, which is expected to end 2025 with 235 million phones sold. Apple’s strong performance will help boost smartphone sales 3.3% year-over-year, the report said.
The higher-than-expected demand for the iPhone 17 series is apparently part of the reason behind Apple’s success. According to Counterpoint, Apple sold 12 percent more iPhone 17 and iPhone Air models compared to all four iPhone 16 phones during the same period, even taking into account weak rumored 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. “In addition, 358 million second-hand iPhones were sold between 2023 and the second quarter of 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) is likely to continue driving strong iPhone demand in the coming months. Counterpoint believes Apple could maintain its top spot until 2029, so it’s up to you, Samsung.
Samsung’s sales are said to continue to rise 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 data, which is based on information from the supply chain and retailers.
The report also supports rumors that we will see an iPhone 17e and a foldable iPhone sometime in 2026. We have also heard that Apple could realign its iPhone launch schedule next year, with only the Pro versions of the iPhone 18 arriving in September.
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