Samsung continues its dominance in the global smartphone market, maintaining its lead with impressive growth. In contrast, Apple faced struggles in China, seeing only modest growth in global iPhone shipments. Preliminary data from IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker reveals that Apple shipped 46.4 million iPhones in Q2, marking a 1.5% increase compared to last year. However, Apple experienced a 1% decline in shipments in China, though strong growth in emerging markets helped offset this decline.
As a result, Apple holds a 15.7% share of the global smartphone market, securing its position as the second-largest company worldwide.
Samsung, on the other hand, is firmly in the lead with a 19.7% market share. The South Korean tech giant shipped 58 million units in Q2, reflecting a solid 7.9% growth year-over-year. Samsung’s success was driven by the Galaxy A36 and A56 models, which brought AI-powered features to mid-range devices. These new devices have been particularly popular in retail stores, with consumers increasingly drawn to the potential of AI.
The latest IDC report also shows Xiaomi in third place with 42.5 million shipments and a 14.4% market share, marking a modest 0.6% growth. Vivo and Transsion rounded out the top five with 27.1 million and 25.1 million units shipped, respectively. Overall, the global smartphone market grew just 1% year-over-year in Q2 2025, reaching a total of 295.2 million shipments. This growth comes amid ongoing challenges, including economic uncertainty, inflation, and rising unemployment rates across various regions.
China’s weak smartphone market performance continues to impact global shipments, with Apple not being the only company affected. Despite these challenges, IDC remains optimistic about the future. The second quarter of 2025 marks the eighth consecutive quarter of growth in the smartphone market, a streak not seen since 2013. With AI-powered smartphones on the horizon, particularly in the mid-range segment, future growth seems likely.