Global smartphone shipments recorded 4% growth in Q4, 2025, as the market was able to absorb rising component costs. According to preliminary data shared by Omdia, Apple was the runaway leader in terms of shipments and reached a record 25% market share. That means 1 in every 4 phones shipped in the last three months of 2025 was an iPhone.
That’s not particularly surprising as demand for the iPhone 17 series has remained strong since its launch in September. The holiday period also saw continued traction from older iPhone models like the 16 series, but it was the base iPhone 17 that served as the main growth driver.
Apple iPhone 17
Samsung came in second place with an estimated 18% share of all shipments for the quarter. Unlike Apple, which relies almost exclusively on premium devices, Samsung’s performance was mainly driven by smartphones in the sub-$300 segment, with the Galaxy A17 4G and A17 5G models being praised as key volume drivers.
Samsung Galaxy A17
Samsung Galaxy A17 5G
Xiaomi was third in the rankings with 11% market share, followed by vivo and Oppo with 8% each. Looking ahead, rising memory costs and component shortages will prove to be the big challenges in 2026, especially for smartphone makers in the budget segment.
