Apple Just Dethroned Samsung For World's Best-Selling Smartphones

Apple just overtook Samsung as the world's biggest smartphone brand, leapfrogging the Korean giant in terms of annual sales figures in 2025. According to data shared by Counterpoint Research, iPhones accounted for one-fifth of the total worldwide smartphone sales, while Samsung took the second spot with a 19% share. China's Xiaomi was in the third position with 13% of the global market. Notably, both Samsung and Apple saw their shipments climb on a year-over-year basis, but it was Apple's 10% growth that put it at the top of the sales pyramid. The company was also the only brand in the top six cluster to record a double-digit growth in annual smartphone sales.

"The iPhone 17 series gained significant traction in Q4 following its successful launch, while the iPhone 16 continued to perform exceptionally well in Japan, India and Southeast Asia," senior analyst Varun Mishra was quoted as saying. Apple's dominance was apparent towards the end of the third quarter. Back then, the market research firm predicted that Apple was on track to beat Samsung by the end of the year. In Q3, Apple was the fastest-growing brand among the Big Five. And soon after the Fall 2025 slate of iPhones hit the shelves and earned a positive reception, analysts predicted a favorable Holiday season for Apple.

Early in December, IDC made a bold forecast that the company would ship 247.4 million iPhones in 2025, a record number that is driven by the "phenomenal success" of the iPhone 17 series. IDC analyst Nabila Popal told CNBC that the "massive demand for iPhone 17 has significantly accelerated Apple's performance." Apple's achievement is also pretty unprecedented because the iPhone Air's sales have reportedly been underwhelming, and to such an extent that Apple slashed its production, according to Nikkei Asia.

Apple's ascent to the top of the global smartphone sales comes after a long wait. According to CNBC, 2025 marks the first time in 14 years that Apple has managed to best Samsung as the world's largest smartphone brand in terms of annual sales. So far, the Korean electronics behemoth has maintained its position with strong momentum for its budget-centric phones, especially with the Galaxy A-series. Apple's rise to the top, on the other hand, is driven mostly by phones in the premium segment of the market.

Counterpoint's report highlights a strong demand for the iPhone 17, and it's not surprising. The phone emerged as a sleeper hit of the portfolio this year, thanks to a strong set of upgrades that included a 120Hz OLED screen, significantly better battery life, sensor upgrades for the front and rear cameras, a more durable build, and faster charging. Going by Apple's historically conservative approach to generation-over-generation upgrades, the iPhone 17 proved to be an immensely attractive value proposition. "This is the phone you should buy despite the company offering two other very compelling offerings," Slashgear expert Adam Doud wrote in his review.

The iPhone 17 Pro pair, on the other hand, finally ditched the aesthetics that we first saw on the iPhone 11 Pro and adopted an entirely new design language. These flagship models also marked the first time that an iPhone came equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system. Other upgrades on the iPhone 17 Pro duo include better battery mileage, a brighter display, faster charging, and an upgraded 48-megapixel telephoto camera that enhances the long-range imaging from 5x to 8x optical zoom level. Overall, the iPhone 17 series proved to be the most practically rewarding smartphone upgrades in years, and it reflects in Apple's current market status.