Global smartphone market: Samsung grows, Apple does not

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According to market figures from Canalys, global smartphone shipments fell slightly to 288.9 million units in the second quarter of 2025 – in the first quarter, the figure was 296.9 million units. Samsung in particular emerged as the winner.

Turnaround for Samsung

Samsung was the most successful manufacturer in the second quarter, shipping 57.5 million smartphones, an increase of seven percent compared to the same quarter last year. According to Canalys, the growth is due less to the Galaxy S25 series and more to the models in the new Galaxy A series, which was launched at the beginning of March 2025.

The second quarter also marked an important turning point for Samsung. “It was the first quarter since Q4 2021 in which the company recorded the strongest growth among the top 5,” said Aaron West, Senior Analyst at Omdia, Canalys' parent company. “Samsung has refocused its strategy on'smart volume' and is aiming to profitably scale its Galaxy A series for the mass market while continuing the growth of its premium models,” the market researcher continued.

According to the market researchers, Samsung's sales could also be boosted similarly to Apple's by “pre-stocking inventories in the US due to customs concerns.”

Apple: Great figures, but…

While Samsung was able to record an increase, things looked less rosy for Apple. Although Apple took second place in the ranking of the top smartphone manufacturers, iPhone deliveries fell by two percent to 44.8 million units.

Apple's quarterly figures were nevertheless excellent. Despite the unstable trade situation, which is also due to the unpredictable customs policy of the US government, the group generated iPhone sales of 44.5 billion US dollars. Due to “early purchases” as a result of the customs uncertainty, iPhone sales were almost five billion dollars higher than analysts had predicted.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi remains in third place. The Chinese manufacturer delivered 42.4 million units and achieved particularly strong growth in Latin America and Africa. Vivo is in fourth place with growth of two percent and 26.4 million units delivered. Vivo was particularly successful in India. With 24.6 million (minus three percent) units delivered, Transsion, a lesser-known manufacturer in this country with its brands Infinix, iTel, and Tecno, took fifth place.

Canalys highlights the manufacturer, Nothing. This manufacturer does not yet appear separately in the ranking due to its low market share, but the company has grown by 177% compared to the previous year and was able to sell more than one million devices per quarter for the first time. “Nothing's path to becoming the world's fastest-growing vendor has been driven primarily by its successful investments in India,” writes Canalys.

According to Canalys, the outlook for the rest of the smartphone year is rather subdued: “Given the rather flat outlook for the full year, vendors are focusing on profitability with short-term tactical gains and long-term strategic investments,” said Sheng Win Chow, Senior Analyst at Canalys.

Third quarter “hectic”

The third quarter will be a “hectic launch season”. Manufacturers are “focusing on topics such as AI, foldable devices, and slimness to boost demand ahead of the holiday season towards the end of the year.”

Over the coming months, Google's Pixel 10 models, among others, are expected to be launched, with the manufacturer once again focusing heavily on AI. Apple is also expected to launch an ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air or Slim, which could replace the Plus model. Honor also wants to bring its thin foldable Magic V5 to Europe, while Samsung is planning a bi-fold foldable.

(afl)