Apple’s iPhone has achieved a historic milestone by securing the highest global smartphone sales market share in a Q1 for the first time, according to a Counterpoint Research report on global smartphone sales for Q1 2025.
In Q1 2025, global smartphone sales experienced a slight overall increase. Apple’s iPhone garnered 19% of global smartphone sales, marking a significant milestone in the company’s history. The success of the iPhone 16e launch played a crucial role in Apple’s overall sales achievement, although specific sales numbers for the new model are not available.
The shift in the global smartphone market is evident, with Apple’s market share growing by 4%, while Samsung’s decreased by 5%. Samsung had 18% of global smartphone sales, trailing behind Apple. Although Samsung’s sales experienced a double-digit growth in March after the launch of the S25 series and new A-series devices, it was not enough to maintain their lead in Q1 due to a slow start resulting from the late launch of the S25 series.
The data from Counterpoint Research underscores the changing dynamics in the global smartphone market. Apple’s achievement is largely attributed to Samsung’s poor year-over-year performance. Notably, while the iPhone grew 4% for the quarter, Samsung saw a 5% sales dip. It is remarkable that Apple can still set new iPhone records despite its previous successes.
