Apple has surpassed Samsung to become the world’s leading smartphone shipper, a turning point made possible by a more diversified product lineup and momentum in emerging markets. New numbers from Counterpoint Research reveal that Apple ended 2025 with a 20% share, barely ahead of Samsung’s 19%, while Xiaomi came in third at 13% and Vivo and Oppo each garnered 8%.
The move completes years of gains with razor-thin margins between the two leaders. Data from Counterpoint shows the two rivals basically neck-and-neck in 2023, at a level of around 19%, then again in 2024 at a lower percentage but still really close to an even split — and leading up to Apple’s breakout showing last year.
Why Apple Pulled Ahead in Global Smartphone Share
Apple recorded a 10% year-over-year increase in shipments for 2025 — the fastest among the top five brands — on what the analysts call a ‘richer’ product mix. As is, the wider lineup now ranges from the entry-level iPhone 16e released early last year to higher-ASP Pro models, providing Apple a more granular price ladder while preventing further erosion of brand equity.
Counterpoint cites increased demand in emerging and mid-sized markets, in which Apple has historically been behind. A mix of lower-priced models, aggressive trade-ins and installment programs as well as a broader retail net helped the company open up additional pockets of volume without sacrificing its premium positioning.
Just as crucial, Apple’s close alignment of hardware and software and its sticky services ecosystem still raise retention. Shipment share is the headline, but IDC and Canalys have both long observed Apple’s outsize chunk of industry profits — evidence that its strategy values value as much as volume.
Samsung’s Position and Short-Term Outlook in 2025
Samsung shipped 5 percent more smartphones than it did a year earlier, fueled by demand for its midrange Galaxy A series and consistent sales of the high-end Galaxy S25 and Galaxy Fold 7. The company is still the backbone of the Android market and far and away the most diversified manufacturer in terms of price points and regions.
Now everyone’s eagerly awaiting Samsung’s next wave of foldables, including the rumored Galaxy Z TriFold, which if it materializes could give fresh meaning to this nascent category’s utility and price elasticity. Foldables are still a minuscule portion of overall volumes, but strategically they are crucial as premium differentiators and average selling price boosters.
For Samsung, the challenge is two-pronged: It must continue its momentum in the lucrative high end, while defending share in a crowded midrange field, where Chinese manufacturers hungry for growth have driven down margins with aggressive specifications and pricing.
How Lineup Strategy Is Rebalancing the Smartphone Market
The bigger picture when it comes to the market is “premiumization with pragmatism.” Consumers are keeping devices much longer, but when they do upgrade, they are often trading up — especially as financing and trade-in programs have increasingly narrowed the price gap. Apple’s extended range from iPhone 16e to Pro Max models fits fairly well into that behavior.
Competitive dynamics are constricting beneath the top two. (All of their totals include sales from carriers who put their own brands on the phones.) Xiaomi’s 13 percent preeminence illustrates its staying power in cutthroat markets, while Vivo and Oppo at 8 percent each keep squeezing into Southeast Asia and chunks of other places in Europe. Any market share gains by Huawei in China only make matters more complicated; Apple would have to weigh resistance from the country against its growing sales in India, the Middle East and Latin America.
What to Watch Next in the Apple–Samsung Smartphone Battle
Apple is likely to expand its lineup further in the upcoming cycle; this, too, could entrench its lead so long as supply and channel execution remain constrained.
The company is also said to be getting ready to launch its first foldable, directly taking on Samsung in a market the latter helped pioneer.
For Samsung, the playbook is straightforward: Sharpen premium differentiation, accelerate foldables innovation and protect midrange scale. If the Galaxy Z TriFold strikes a chord, and if the A series retains its value edge, that margin could close rapidly.
The takeaway is simple but profound: Apple’s ascent to No. 1 was not a one-time spike; it was handcrafted through product breadth, pricing discipline and tighter regional execution. Apple holds the crown, for now, but with product cycles, carrier promotions and new form factors in flight, it’s still game on at the top.
