The iPhone 17 Has Helped Apple Take Top Spot In The Smartphone Market

The iPhone 17 has proven so popular with buyers that it has helped Apple regain the top spot as the world’s largest smartphone maker. It’s the first time since 2011 that Apple has held that title.

Bloomberg reports that Apple is set to take the spot from Samsung on the back of data collected by Counterpoint Research.

It’s thought that the iPhone 17 has proven particularly popular at home in the United States but also in China — a key market for Apple growth.

In fact, Bloomberg reports that iPhone 17 upgraders have been responsible for double-digit year-over-year sales growth in both of those countries.

According to Counterpoint’s numbers, the global iPhone shipments are set to grow at 10% compared to Samsung’s 4,.6%. This is alongside an overall market growth that is expected to be a little more than 3.3%.

As for Apple’s share, it’s reported that its iPhone is responsible for a 19.4% share of the global smartphone market.

“Beyond the highly positive market reception for the iPhone 17 series, the key driver behind the upgraded shipment outlook lies in the replacement cycle reaching its inflection point,” said Counterpoint analyst Yang Wang. “Consumers who purchased smartphones during the Covid-19 boom are now entering their upgrade phase. Furthermore, 358 million secondhand iPhones were sold between 2023 and Q2 2025. These users are also likely to upgrade to a new iPhone in the coming years.”