As expected, Apple became the biggest smartphone maker globally with a 20% share - in other words, 1 in every 5 smartphones shipped in 2025 had the Apple logo on its back. Indeed, Apple shipments grew the most (among the Top 5) during the year, going up 10% year-on-year.
Counterpoint Research has revised down its 2026 smartphone shipment forecast to a 2.1 percent decline, citing a tightening supply of memory chips that is driving up costs and squeezing manufacturers. The analyst firm says higher DRAM and NAND prices risk undermining confidence across the market, particularly as smartphone vendors struggle to justify higher prices for devices that to many feel marginally different from the ones already in their pockets.
A total of 1.25 billion smartphones will be shipped in 2025, which represents a 1.5% increase compared to the figures for 2024. The latest International Data Corporation (IDC) report reflects an updated forecast that is reportedly driven by Apple's continued success with the iPhone 17 series. Cupertino is now forecasted to push over 247 million iPhone 17 series units in 2025, driven by favourable demand factors like an accelerated push in the holiday quarter, alongside growing demand in emerging markets and in China.
Samsung's growth was driven by the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Flip7, as well as the A07 and A17. Apple's base iPhone 17 "outperformed launch expectations due to improved value proposition". Xiaomi shipments in China declined after state subsidy programs ended, but growth in Asia-Pacific and other regions offset that. The entire market shipped 320.1 million units in Q3, a 3% increase year-on-year.
