Oliver Haslam on January 12, 2026, 5:53 pm

Apple Takes Top Spot In 2025 Smartphone Market With 20% Share

Apple was the number one smartphone maker in the world during 2025, taking 20% of the market share thanks to a 10% year-over-year shipment growth. That’s according to data shared by Counterpoint Research.

As a whole, the smartphone market grew 2% during 2025 when compared to the previous year, with Counterpoint suggesting that financing options as well as the growth of 5G in some markets being key drivers.

The market sustained its growth momentum throughout 2025, primarily driven by premiumization facilitated by financing options and effective marketing, and the increasing adoption of 5G devices in emerging markets.

While Apple took top spot with 20% of the share, Samsung found itself in second place with 19%, which itself represented a 5% increase year over year. The remaining big hitters include Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi. Oppo was the big loser, seeing its market share fall 4% compared to the previous year.

The report also suggests that while some US consumers shifted their purchases to the earlier part of the year to avoid the impact of tariffs, that impact wasn’t as bad as first feared. The result saw sales pick up towards the end of the year.

As for this year, Counterpoint warns that the “2026 outlook remains conservative due to [a] sharp rise in memory shortages and prices.” This year is also expected to see Apple release its first foldable phone, so all eyes will be on the firm to see how that impacts demand among buyers.