Apple Tops Global Smartphone Sales With 19% Share, Boosted By iPhone 16e, Emerging Market Growth

Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) topped global smartphone sales in the first quarter with a 19% share, helped by the iPhone 16e launch and continued expansion in emerging markets, Counterpoint Research noted on Monday.

Strong sales growth in markets like Japan and India helped.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (OTC:SSNLF) followed with 18% of the market courtesy of its S25 and new A-series devices.

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Apple recorded double-digit growth in Japan, India, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. Samsung followed Apple with an 18% market share.

According to preliminary results from Counterpoint Research, the global smartphone market grew 3% in the quarter. Declines in developed markets were offset by growth in China owing to government subsidies and continuing recovery in key emerging markets across Latin America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

According to International Data Corp, global smartphone shipments rose 1.5% in the first quarter, prompting Apple to hoard units to avoid tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

Apple had chartered cargo flights to ferry up to 1.5 million iPhones to the U.S. from India to beat the tariffs, Reuters reports.

But, Trump’s decision to exclude smartphones, computers and some other electronics from the sweeping reciprocal duties on China led to a rise in global tech stocks on Monday.

Counterpoint Research noted the global smartphone market is likely to decline in 2025, as rising economic uncertainties caused by tariffs are likely to hurt consumer demand across markets, especially in the U.S.

Counterpoint noted that Chinese smartphone companies Xiaomi Corp (OTC:XIACF) (OTC:XIACY) continued their sales momentum in third place, while Vivo took fourth place and OPPO fifth.

APPL Price Action: Apple stock is up 2.36% to $203.13 at publication Monday.

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Photo: Courtesy Apple