Apple has officially taken the lead in the global smartphone market, overtaking long-time leader Samsung. By 2025, Apple will have a 20% share worldwide, with 10% YoY growth, the highest among the top five brands. Apple's big rise is the result of strong demand for its new iPhone models, especially the iPhone 17 series in the last quarter and the iPhone 16 series in the previous part of the year.
In third place is Xiaomi, while vivo and OPPO take fourth and fifth place. The overall breakdown of global market share is:
Apple: 20% share
Samsung: 19% share
Xiaomi: 13% share
vivo: 9% share
OPPO: 11% share
Apple's dominance in the market has been further strengthened by its focus on premium users, and the upgrade trend in 2025 has prompted many iPhone users to replace older models. Many consumers prefer Apple because of innovative features, camera quality, and longer software support compared to other brands.
Meanwhile, Samsung remained strong with a 19% share, driven by its Galaxy A-series for the masses and their premium flagships such as the Galaxy S25 and Fold7 series. Their strategy is balanced targeting the mass and premium markets, but it is not enough to overtake Apple in overall sales growth.
While the global smartphone market grew by 2% in 2025, there is a warning for 2026: smartphone prices will increase due to shortages of DRAM and NAND memory. The real battle next year will not be just about features, but who can offer quality phones at a reasonable price.
