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Apple Took the Top Spot as Global Smartphone Shipments Rose 2 Percent YoY in 2025: Counterpoint

Apple Took the Top Spot as Global Smartphone Shipments Rose 2 Percent YoY in 2025: Counterpoint

While Apple emerged as the leader with 20 percent market share, Samsung took the second spot.

Written by Akash Dutta, Edited by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 13 January 2026 12:05 IST

Apple Took the Top Spot as Global Smartphone Shipments Rose 2 Percent YoY in 2025: Counterpoint

Counterpoint claimed that smartphone shipments in 2026 could be impacted due to memory shortage

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Highlights

Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo took the 3rd, 4th, and 5th spot, respectively
Global smartphone shipments saw an uptick 2nd year in a row
The growth was driven by increasing premium demand

Apple captured the top spot in the global smartphone shipments in 2025, according to a report by Counterpoint Research. The global trends also witnessed a year-on-year (YoY) growth of two percent in the preceding year, making it the second year in a row that brands expanded their sell-in numbers. The report highlighted that Samsung came in the second spot after capturing 19 percent of the market, whereas Xiaomi remained at third without much of a change to its market size. Vivo and Oppo took the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.

Global Smartphone Shipments in 2025 Witness an Uptick

According to Counterpoint Research's preliminary Market Monitor report, global smartphone shipments grew by two percent YoY, largely driven by demand for premium handsets, access to financing options, and increasing adoption of 5G devices in emerging markets. Notably, this data is based on sell-in numbers, which refer to the number of phones shipped to stores or warehouses. It indicates supply and manufacturer output, and not actual sales to the end consumer.

Coming to individual brand performance in the preceding year, Apple led the global smartphone market with 20 percent of the share. It also registered a 10 percent YoY shipment growth, which is the highest among the top five brands. Counterpoint analysts attributed this growth to expanding presence and rising demand across emerging and mid-sized markets. Notably, it is said that the iPhone 17 series gained traction in the fourth quarter of 2025, while the iPhone 16 continued to perform well in India, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

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Samsung took the second spot in 2025 with 19 percent of the market share and a YoY growth of five percent. The company's growth was said to be fuelled by the Galaxy A series in the mid-range segment, and the Galaxy Fold 7 and the Galaxy S25 series in the premium segment. Both were said to outperform their predecessors. Japan emerged as a key market for the brand.

Xiaomi claimed the third spot with a market share of 13 percent. Its performance remained largely stable, owing to its premiumisation strategy, resilient demand in emerging markets, and a balanced product mix, as per analysts.

Vivo and Oppo both captured eight percent of the global smartphone shipments market; however, Counterpoint Research placed Vivo at fourth spot due to its YoY growth of three percent. Analysts stated that the brand streamlined its portfolio in 2025, which helped it to focus on both high-value upgrades and mid-tier demands.

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Oppo was given the fifth spot since its YoY shipment value declined by four percent. Analysts claimed that the lowered numbers were due to weak demand and rising competition in the Chineseand Asia-Pacific markets. Despite the decline, Oppo is said to have grown in markets such as India and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. Notably, with the integration of Realme, the total shipment share of Oppo will rise to 11 percent.

The report also highlighted that while Nothing and Google did not feature in the top five brands, their YoY shipment growth in 2025 was high, with 31 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

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Outside the top five, Nothing and Google did well, recording 31% and 25% YoY growth, respectively, in 2025.

iPhone 17

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Transformative and brighter ProMotion display
Powerful performance
Meaningful camera upgrades
More value-for-money
Great battery life

Bad
iOS 26 has glitches
Ineffective anti-reflective coating

Read detailed Apple iPhone 17 review

Display 6.30-inch

Processor Apple A19

Front Camera 18-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 26

Resolution 1206x2622 pixels

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iPhone 16

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A18

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 18

Resolution 1179x2556 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Lightweight design and super thin profile
Fantastic displays
Top-notch performance
Excellent primary camera
Launches with One UI 8 based on Android 16 out of the box (and gets extended software support)

Bad
Charging speed capped at 25W
Battery life could have been better
No S Pen support
Expensive

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review

Display (Primary) 8.00-inch

Cover Display 6.50-inch

Cover Resolution 2520x1080 pixels

Front Camera 10-megapixel + 10-megapixel

Rear Camera 200-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 10-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB

Battery Capacity 4400mAh

OS Android 16

Resolution 1968x2184 pixels

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Samsung Galaxy S25

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Compact and excellent aesthetics
Top-notch display
AI features loaded
One UI 7 brings nice updates
Decent cameras

Bad
25W fast-charging limit
Expensive (base price)

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S25 review

Display 6.20-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 10-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Battery Capacity 4000mAh

OS Android 15

Resolution 1080x2340 pixels

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Further reading: Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, Smartphone shipments, Smartphones

Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Chief Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More