Two names define the global smartphone conversation: Apple and Samsung. Both release to a drumbeat of seasonal launches, both command loyal ecosystems, and both sell at a truly global scale. The interesting part is not that they lead, but how the lead swings. If you are building a technology page that prioritises facts over fan chatter, here is the state of play in 2025 – numbers first, narrative second.
The scoreboard so far
After more than a decade of Samsung dominance, Apple finished 2023 as the world’s largest smartphone maker by shipments for the first time, with a 20.1% share to Samsung’s 19.4%, according to IDC’s tracker and widely reported by Reuters and others. That translated to 234.6 million iPhones versus 226.6 million Samsung smartphones in 2023, a symbolic changing of the guard that reflected the strength of Apple’s premium mix and the iPhone 15 cycle.
In 2024, Apple held the full-year crown. Preliminary IDC (International Data Cooperation) data reported by Reuters shows Apple shipped 232.1 million units for an 18.7% share, while Samsung shipped 223.4 million for 18.0%. The overall market rebounded in 2024 after two down years, but Chinese brands-especially Xiaomi and Transsion- captured much of that incremental growth.
2025 looks different. Through the second and third quarters, Samsung has led on quarterly shipments:
- Q2 2025: analysts at Counterpoint and Canalys place Samsung at the top, helped by broad demand for the Galaxy A-series and new AI messaging across the lineup. Canalys estimates put Samsung at ~57.5 million shipments with ~19–20% share; Apple ranked second at ~44.8 million units. IDC’s parallel note the same week also positioned Samsung first.
- Q3 2025: IDC’s preliminary tally shows Samsung shipped 61.4 million smartphones, with Apple close behind at 58.6 million-a near record quarter for both suppliers as the market continued its gradual recovery.
Taken together, 2025’s year-to-date picture (through Q3) tilts to Samsung on units shipped, even as Apple remains exceptionally strong in the high end.
What the market itself is doing
The global market is expanding modestly in 2025 after a healthier rebound in 2024. IDC recorded 295.2 million units in Q2 and 322.7 million in Q3 2025, up 1.0% and 2.6% year-over-year respectively. Macro uncertainty and tariff noise capped growth forecasts earlier in the year – Counterpoint cut its 2025 growth outlook in June and IDC also trimmed expectations – but product cycles and AI-centric marketing have kept momentum intact into the autumn.
Within that market, the premium and super-premium tiers are growing faster than the mass segment. Counterpoint reports record premium unit sales in H1 2025, up 8% year-over-year, as buyers stretch replacement cycles yet choose more capable devices when they do upgrade. That dynamic skews advantage to brands with strong flagship pull-chiefly Apple and Samsung-though regional mixes vary.
Why 2025 favours Samsung on shipments
Breadth and cadence. Samsung’s two-front strategy-globally distributed A-series volume plus S- and Fold/Flip-series flagships-creates multiple “mini seasons” across the calendar. That matters in quarters when Apple sits between launches. Canalys attributes Samsung’s Q2 leadership to this mass-market ballast, which continued to support share in Q3 alongside S-series resilience.
Geographic balance. Apple’s China softness in early 2025 weighed on its volumes, while Samsung’s presence across a wider price spectrum in emerging markets helped offset macro headwinds. IDC flagged Apple’s Q1 decline in China and has repeatedly noted the rise of Chinese OEMs in mid-tier price bands globally.
Quarterly timing. Apple’s biggest unit surges traditionally occur in the launch and holiday quarters. Even then, the Q3 2025 gap was slim—61.4m vs 58.6m—suggesting Apple’s iPhone 17 cycle landed strongly, but not quite enough to eclipse Samsung’s broader lineup on units.
Why Apple still dominates the high end
Premium share and pricing power. Apple’s strength is magnified at the top of the market. Counterpoint’s premium-tier analysis shows that H1 2025 set a new high for premium volumes, a lane where Apple captures a disproportionate share of revenue and profit even in quarters when it trails on units.
Ecosystem gravity. Services revenue, AirPods and Watch attach, and cross-device continuity sustain loyalty and higher average selling prices. That halo does not show up in shipment tables, yet it underpins why Apple could lead full-year 2023 and 2024 with fewer underlying models than Samsung. Reuters’ year-end tallies reflect that sustained premium pull.
Region-specific resilience. Even where quarterly share wobbles—such as China in early 2025—Apple’s position in North America and Japan remains steadfast, and it continues to post record quarters during launch windows. IDC’s Q3 note calls out Apple’s best September-quarter shipments ever at 58.6m units.
Apple or Samsung: who sold more in 2025?
With three quarters in the books, the unit-shipment lead for 2025 year-to-date is with Samsung. Independent firms differ slightly in totals, but they agree on the ordering for Q2 and Q3, and press coverage of IDC’s Q3 reading confirms Samsung’s narrow advantage. Final judgment on the full year 2025 will rest on Q4 holiday volumes; historically, a blowout iPhone quarter can compress or even overturn a year-to-date lead, which is why 2023 and 2024 finished in Apple’s favour. For now, on shipments, 2025 belongs to Samsung; on revenue mix and profitability, Apple remains exceptionally strong at the top end.
The strategic takeaway
- Samsung’s edge this year comes from portfolio breadth and geographic reach. Its success in the A-series, consistent flagship cadence, and more even distribution across price bands produce reliable unit share in slower quarters. That fundamentals-first approach is reflected in Q2 and Q3 2025 leadership.
- Apple’s edge is concentration and pricing power. Even with quarterly dips, it delivers record premium volumes in key windows, sustains ecosystem loyalty, and converts that into outsized revenue and profit share—hence leading the full year in 2023 and 2024.
- The market’s shape matters as much as brand tactics. 2025 growth is modest, but premium tiers are expanding, AI features are moving from flagships to mid-tiers, and macro factors—especially tariff policy—still influence forecasts and component costs. Expect continued jockeying at the top as Q4 promotions intensify.
Bottom line for readers
If you care about who shipped more phones in 2025, the answer, so far, is Samsung. If you care about where the profit pools and premium momentum sit, Apple still commands extraordinary strength. And if you care about the broader story, the real winner is the consumer: a maturing market that now delivers meaningful updates, longer support windows, and AI-infused features not just at the stratosphere of price, but increasingly across the mainstream.
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