Samsung leads Apple in smartphone load market share , harmonise to data fromCounterpoint Research , and while this may appear unspoiled word for the brand , a deeper examination into two very different strategies indicates Samsung may not be felicitous with the site at all . For the first three months of 2025 , Samsung controlled 20 % of the global smartphone market by gimmick shipments , followed by Apple with 19 % . This is “ trade in ” information , meaning devices purchased from the producer by distributor . It is a considerable alteration over the data from the last three months of 2024 , where Apple led with 23 % of the market followed by Samsung with 16 % .
This is crucial to infer why Samsung may be looking at the latest anatomy , which on the outdoor appear positive , with concern . At the ending of 2024 Apple would have been riding luxuriously on the discharge of theiPhone 16series , while Samsung would have been far remove from theGalaxy S24series and theGalaxy ezed Fold 6andGalaxy zee Flip 6 ’s going . It pee-pee horse sense for Apple to command a higher marketplace share mighty after the release of its flagship devices for the twelvemonth .
Samsung has retaken control of the globular market part leaderboard in early 2025 with the expiration of theGalaxy S25series , but it has not extended a commanding lead over Apple . It has n’t taken any further market part liken to the same point in 2024 either , when it also had 20 % share follow the Galaxy S24 ’s release . At the time , Apple trailed at 17 % market contribution .
Counterpoint Research
No success for the Galaxy S25 ?
The Galaxy S25 series has n’t give Samsung the leash it will have belike want to see over the competition . It has also return the same carrying into action , in term of shipments , as it did with the Galaxy S24 ’s handout at the beginning of 2024 . One of the complaints many have with the Galaxy S25 series is the devices are n’t dramatically different to the Galaxy S24 series , and the lack of growth compared to last class seems to think over this .
While Samsung has n’t changed affair much , Apple changed its scheme at the source of 2025 , and it appears to have paid off . TheApple iPhone 16Earrived at the destruction of February , an strange time for Apple to release a Modern roving gadget , and Counterpoint Research show it has been a considerable success .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
“ It was rare for Apple to have a newfangled product launch in Q1 , but the young iPhone 16e helped the brand gain share in certain markets like Japan , ” wrote analyst Jene Park . “ Apple was the top stigma during Q1 in terms of whole cut-rate sale , [ and its ] performance was stronger than any other first quarter before and it . The iPhone 16 serial is indicate strong requirement in emerging markets where Apple grew in two-fold figure . ”
All bad news program for Samsung ?
The data from Counterpoint Research probably does n’t in full cover the release of Samsung ’s own mid - range phones , theGalaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 . They are unlikely to put on as much attention as the iPhone 16E — a telephone anticipated by many for several geezerhood — but are systematically popular throughout their life span . The new devices may facilitate perk Samsung ’s market deal up over the next few months , as interest in the iPhone 16E by nature ebb .
Samsung Galaxy A56Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
However , the data does indicate the Galaxy S25 has n’t appropriate as much attention as the iPhone 16E , and that ’s not a near face for Samsung ’s flagship phone range . This is despite Samsung ’s claim S25 pre - orders in South Koreabeat the recordset by the Galaxy S23 series . notice the Galaxy S24 had not claimed the pre - order record . The data show how the great unwashed have reacted to two different strategies — the launch of a mid - range phone , and a trust on AI to change over devices .
Samsung has pushed itsGalaxy AIsuite of features firmly with the Galaxy S25 , and while they operate well , not everyone will regain them utilitarian everyday . Because the hardware is n’t all that unlike to the Galaxy S24 , fewer citizenry may have upgraded if feature like the Now Brief did n’t appeal . We ’ll watch with pastime what pass with theGalaxy S26series , as Samsung may look at the S25 ’s performance and decide it ’s time for a strategy change of its own , which may result in more striking computer hardware rise than we ’ve seen over the past few years .
