Apple sells over 200 million iPhones every year, but that’s not enough for the company to be the world’s top smartphone vendor every year. That title usually belongs to Samsung, whose smartphone mix helps it sell even more handsets than Apple. Unlike the iPhone maker, Samsung has several entry-level and mid-range models — giving it the ability to sell products to a large audience. Apple’s cheapest iPhone is the $599 iPhone 16e. However, the iPhone 17 series is set to make Apple the world’s top smartphone vendor in 2025, as per data from Counterpoint Research, Bloomberg reports. While the last time Apple outperformed Samsung was in 2011, Apple’s iPhone strategy for the next few years might allow it to retain the top spot until 2029, according to this report. That said, analysts from Canalys and IDC have conflicting views, as the research firms had suggested that Apple had crushed Samsung, with the iPhone outshining the Galaxy in 2023.
The iPhone 17 series saw massive demand in the past two months, save for the ultra-thin iPhone Air. A separate Counterpoint Research report a few days ago highlighted how the iPhone 17 helped Apple grab 25% of the Chinese market in October. Additionally, the three iPhone 17 models were routinely sold out online, especially the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the standard iPhone 17 model. The cheaper model was a big success this year, thanks to several upgrades that make the base iPhone 17 almost as good a device as the iPhone 17 Pro.
What’s next for the iPhone?
The new Counterpoint Research figures highlighted by Bloomberg show that iPhone shipments will grow by 10% in 2025, compared to 4.6% for Samsung — with the entire smartphone market set to grow by 3.3% this year. With that, Apple is projected to capture 19.4% of the market. Analysts said that it’s not just the strong iPhone 17 reception that’s propelling Apple’s phone sales. The replacement cycle has supposedly reached an inflection point, fueled by consumers who last purchased smartphones during the sales boom of the COVID period and are ready to upgrade. Also, the report noted that 358 million used iPhones were sold in the two years between the second quarter of 2023 and the second quarter of 2025. These iPhone owners are also likely to upgrade in the coming years to one of the new iPhones Apple is currently developing.
The Counterpoint Research analysts mention three rumored iPhone models set to launch in 2026 and 2027, including the budget iPhone 17e model, the foldable iPhone, and Apple’s 20th-anniversary iPhone 20. These iPhones should launch in the spring of 2026, September 2026, and September 2027, respectively, according to previous rumors. Counterpoint Research believes that Apple’s upcoming iPhone lineup will help Apple secure the world’s top smartphone vendor title through 2029. If the prediction comes true, it’ll give Apple a rare win over Samsung. That said, the Korean giant won’t sit idle. Samsung is expected to hit back with the Galaxy S26 series early next year, followed by a new wave of foldable phones next summer.
