Samsung has taken the top spot in the smartphone market for the first quarter of 2025. A new report from Canalys shows that Samsung sold more phones than Apple from January to March this year.
The success is thanks to the new Galaxy S25 series. These phones have the latest hardware and software. They helped Samsung do well against Apple’s iPhone 16 in key markets.
Smartphone Market Grows Slightly
In total, phone makers shipped 296.9 million smartphones in Q1 2025. That’s just a 0.2% increase from the same time last year. It’s not huge growth, but it’s better than a drop.
Samsung Takes the Lead
For the first quarter of 2025, Samsung shipped a total of 60.5 million phones. This amounted to a 20% market share on the global stage. Samsung had the same market share in the first quarter of 2024. However, shipment was slightly lower. The South Korean company shipped 60 million units in the first quarter of 2024.
This growth may be small, but it was enough to keep Samsung in the lead for the first quarter of 2025. Its flagship S25 models and the popular A series were the forerunners of the company’s sales.
Apple Comes in Second to Samsung
Apple followed closely. It sold 55 million iPhones and got a 19% market share. This is a big jump from last year. In Q1 2024, Apple sold 48.7 million iPhones and had only a 16% share. That means Apple grew 13% in one year. But it still wasn’t enough to pass Samsung.
Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo Round Out the Top 5
Three Chinese brands kept strong positions in the global market:
- Xiaomi came in third. It shipped 41.8 million phones and got 14% of the market.
- Vivo was fourth with 22.9 million phones and an 8% share.
- Oppo followed closely. It shipped 22.7 million units, also holding 8%.
What This Means
The smartphone market isn’t growing fast, but it’s staying steady. Samsung’s strong lineup, including the S25 and Galaxy A series, helped it keep the number one spot. Apple is growing fast, but it didn’t take the lead this time.
As the year goes on, more new phones will arrive. It will be interesting to see if Apple can catch up or if Samsung will stay on top.
