Apple’s leap, becoming number one again after 14 years
The world’s two largest smartphone brands, Samsung and Apple, have been in a competition for years to become the number one smartphone brand. Although Samsung has been leading the race in recent years, new data suggests that the picture may change in 2025.
The latest market research shows that Apple is likely to rise to first place in the global smartphone market. According to the latest report by Counterpoint Research, Apple is likely to become the world’s largest smartphone brand this year in 2025.
Along with mature markets like the US, sales of the iPhone 17 series have also gained momentum in China. This is expected to increase annual global sales of iPhones by up to 10 percent, while Samsung’s smartphone sales are expected to grow by 4.6 percent.
According to the report, Apple’s global market share could reach about 19.4 percent by 2025. If this happens, Apple will surpass Samsung in the global smartphone market since 2011 and become the world’s number one brand. The ‘upgrade cycle’ of replacing new phones has increased demand According to Counterpoint analyst Yang Wang, the smartphone market has entered a new ‘upgrade cycle’.
About 358 million second-hand smartphones were sold from 2023 to the second quarter of 2025. Since these users are already Apple users, they are more likely to buy a new iPhone. This basis has been analyzed to further strengthen Apple’s future sales.
Future strategy: Cheap iPhone 17e and foldable model Counterpoint estimates that Apple can remain at the top position not only in 2025, but also until 2029. There are two main reasons for this – first, preparations to launch the low-cost iPhone 17e and second, indications that the company’s first foldable iPhone may be released next year. Both these steps are considered a strategy to expand the market by covering different consumer segments. On the other hand, Apple’s dominance in the high-priced, or premium, smartphone segment in the market is even stronger. According to 2024 data, Apple had a 67 percent share in this category. This segment accounts for a large portion of global smartphone revenue, which has made Apple even stronger financially.
Dominance in the Indian market India has become one of the fastest-growing markets for Apple. Apple is said to have entered the top 5 smartphone brands in India for the first time in the third quarter of 2025. In terms of ‘value-share’, Apple had become number-one in India in 2024, with a market share of about 23 percent. Apple smartphone sales in India are expected to reach 14 million to 15.5 million units in 2025, which is an annual growth of about 25 percent.
Challenges for Samsung, but Android dominance continues Remember that Samsung has been the leading brand in the global smartphone market in terms of sales for years. Despite Apple’s rapid progress, the global user base of Android smartphones is still huge. Android smartphones have a market share of more than 70 percent, and Samsung smartphones have the largest number of them. So, Apple may be ahead in terms of brand; but Android’s dominance at the operating system level seems to remain strong.
-Agency