Apple topped the global mobile phone market share list in 2025, with Samsung and Xiaomi ranking second and third respectively.

Jiemian News has learned that Counterpoint Research released the global smartphone market monitoring data for 2025 on January 13th. The global smartphone shipments increased for the second consecutive year in 2025, with a year - on - year growth of 2%. The overall market maintained a growth trend throughout 2025, mainly driven by the high - end trend promoted by payment solutions and effective marketing, as well as the increasing penetration rate of 5G devices in emerging markets.

Looking specifically at the top five brands, Apple led the global smartphone market with a 20% market share and achieved a year - on - year growth of 10%, becoming the brand with the largest growth rate. Samsung followed closely with a 19% share, ranking second; Xiaomi firmly held the third position with a 13% share; vivo and OPPO ranked fourth and fifth respectively.

Counterpoint data shows that in the just - concluded fourth quarter of 2025, smartphone shipments ended on a relatively moderate note. Affected by the inventory backlog in the previous quarters, the year - on - year growth was only 1%. Apple led the quarter with a quarter of the global shipment market share, reaching a record high, and Samsung ranked second with a 17% market share.

Varun Mishra, a senior analyst at the institution, said: "Apple's growth in 2025 benefited from its expansion in emerging and mid - end markets, the increasing demand, and the strong support provided by a better product portfolio. The iPhone 17 series was quickly recognized by the market after its release in the fourth quarter, while the iPhone 16 continued to perform excellently in Japan, India, and Southeast Asia. As the device replacement cycle during the pandemic reached an inflection point, millions of users had the need to upgrade their devices, and this dual - driving force further amplified the growth momentum."

The growth of Samsung, which ranked second, mainly came from the demand support of the Galaxy A series in the mid - end market, while the Galaxy Fold 7 and S25 series performed strongly in the high - end market, with an overall performance better than the previous generation. Although Samsung faced certain pressure in Latin America and Western Europe, the strong performance in the Japanese market and the continuous growth in core markets jointly promoted the increase in its overall shipments in 2025.

Xiaomi firmly held the third position with a 13% market share. Supported by its high - end strategy, strong demand in emerging markets, and a balanced layout of flagship and mid - end models, its overall performance remained stable. Strong execution in Latin America and Southeast Asia, combined with effective channel management, helped the company maintain a stable shipment volume in a challenging industry environment.

vivo ranked fourth. Its high - end strategy, strong offline channel execution in the Indian market, and a streamlined product portfolio drove a 3% year - on - year growth. Counterpoint believes that this product portfolio can cover both high - value upgrade needs and stabilize mid - end market demand.

OPPO's shipments decreased by 4% year - on - year due to weak demand and fierce competition in the Chinese mainland and the Asia - Pacific region. Although it achieved growth in markets such as India and the Middle East and Africa, it was still not enough to offset the decline in other regions. Previously, Jiemian News exclusively learned that realme would return to OPPO and merge with OnePlus. After the restructuring, OnePlus will focus on the domestic and some overseas online markets, and the overseas markets outside China will be taken over by realme and the main brand OPPO.

Counterpoint predicts that with the start of the integration process of realme and OPPO, the combined shipment share in 2025 will be 11%, ranking fourth in the global smartphone market.

In addition, affected by the storage shortage and a significant price increase, the institution holds a conservative outlook for the 2026 market.

Tarun Pathak, the research director at Counterpoint, said: "The global smartphone market is expected to weaken in 2026. The trend of smartphone price increases has begun to emerge. Against this background, the shipment forecast for 2026 has been lowered by 3%." He emphasized that although the supply shortage will put pressure on overall shipments, Apple and Samsung are expected to remain relatively resilient due to their stronger supply chain capabilities and high - end market positioning, while Chinese brands focusing on the low - price segment will face greater pressure.

This article is from "Jiemian News", author: Song Jianan. Republished by 36Kr with permission.