Global Smartphone Shipments Surged 1.5 Percent YoY in Q1 2025; Samsung, Apple Retain Top Positions: IDC

Xiaomi took the third spot with a 13.7 percent market share.

Written by Nithya P Nair, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 16 April 2025 13:35 IST

Global Smartphone Shipments Surged 1.5 Percent YoY in Q1 2025; Samsung, Apple Retain Top Positions: IDC

Samsung regained its market leadership with 19.9 percent market share

Highlights

Oppo retained fourth position with 7.7 percent market share
Apple recorded its best Q1 ever in terms of units shipped
Galaxy S25 series and Galaxy A series helped drive Samsung's growth

The global smartphone market has started on a positive note in 2025, according to a preliminary report by market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC). Worldwide smartphone shipments grew 1.5 percent year-over-year (YoY) to 304.9 million units in the first quarter of 2025. Samsung remained the market leader, followed by Apple. The iPhone maker clocked the best Q1 ever in terms of units shipped, but its performance in China declined. Meanwhile, Chinese smartphone brands Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo were in the top five.

As per IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report, global smartphone shipments surged 1.5 percent YoY to 304.9 million units in Q1 2025. This increase highlights strategic production adjustments made by smartphone companies in response to expected policy changes amid ongoing US-China trade tensions.

Samsung, Apple Still Lead the Pack

Following past trends, Samsung regained its market leadership with a 19.9 percent market share and shipped 60.6 million units. The success of the Galaxy S25 series and the latest Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56 models is said to have driven Samsung's growth.

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The report states that Apple recorded its best Q1 ever in terms of units shipped (57.9 million units). It grabbed 19.0 percent market share, registering a growth of 10.0 percent compared to the same period last year. Apple's performance in China declined as iPhone Pro models were exempt from the Chinese government subsidy program.

Xiaomi came in third place with 13.7 percent market share, registering 2.5 YoY growth in shipments. The brand shipped 41.8 million units and recorded growth in China as the subsidies from the Chinese government positively impacted the sale of Xiaomi's mid-range devices.

Oppo retained fourth position with 7.7 percent market share, but the company's shipments declined in the international markets. Vivo came at fifth position with 7.4 percent market share and 6.3 YoY growth driven by the strong demand for low-end devices and the V series.

Apple Witnessed Double Digit YoY Shipment Growth in January 2025: IDC

IDC says the previous quarter witnessed growth globally among leading smartphone vendors, especially Chinese brands in their domestic market. This uptick was backed by government subsidies introduced last year and extended to smartphones in January 2025. The subsidy programme focuses on devices priced under CNY 6,000 (roughly Rs. 70,000), which covers the majority of offerings from Chinese manufacturers.

Dependence on China's supply chain remains strong despite continued tariff fluctuations, complicating long-term planning and forcing many companies to make critical decisions under significant uncertainty, opined Ryan Reith, Group Vice President, worldwide device trackers, IDC. “Right now, the focus for US smartphone brands should be taking advantage of the exemption by building and shipping as much as possible. The other side of this equation is the possibility that economic uncertainty may dampen consumer demand in the coming months.”

Samsung Galaxy A56 5G

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.70-inch

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 5000mAh

OS Android 15

Resolution 2340x1080 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.70-inch

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 5-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 5000mAh

OS Android 15

Resolution 2340x1080 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Samsung Galaxy S25

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Compact and excellent aesthetics
Top-notch display
AI features loaded
One UI 7 brings nice updates
Decent cameras

Bad
25W fast-charging limit
Expensive (base price)

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S25 review

Display 6.20-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 10-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB

Battery Capacity 4000mAh

OS Android 15

Resolution 1080x2340 pixels

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Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More