According to Omdia’s latest research, the global smartphone market grew 4% year on year in quarter four of 2025 (4Q25) with Apple leading the market for the third consecutive year.
The research group says growth was concentrated among leading vendors, including Apple and Samsung, across key regions. Apple led the smartphone market in 4Q25 with a 25% market share, delivering a record fourth quarter driven by strong demand for the iPhone 17 series. Apple also ranked as the world’s largest smartphone vendor for the third consecutive year, finishing marginally ahead of Samsung.
“Apple recorded its highest-ever fourth-quarter shipment volumes in 4Q25,” said Sanyam Chaurasia, principal analyst at Omdia. “The performance was driven by solid demand for the iPhone 17 series alongside continued traction from older-generation models during the holiday season. The base iPhone 17 exceeded expectations following storage upgrades at unchanged pricing, while Pro models gained momentum as Apple ramped up production through the quarter. Meanwhile, the iPhone Air acted as a portfolio showcase, with its slim form factor enhancing retail marketing and reinforcing the premium appeal of the Pro lineup.
In 4Q25, Samsung followed in second with 18% share.
For the full year 2025, global smartphone shipments grew 2% year-on-year to 1.25 billion units, reflecting a stable but uneven recovery year in which a weaker the first half of 2025 was followed by a stronger second half, defined by booming emerging economies and positive reception of flagship launches, notes Omdia.
However, rising memory costs and shortages have started to impact the market and constrain the broader volume upside in 4Q25, says the research group. Mounting cost pressures toward year-end point to a stronger focus on pricing discipline, profitability and operational efficiency heading into 2026, per Omdia.
“DRAM supply tightness has added considerable supply-side pressures to the smartphone industry, and is expected to be a key defining factor in 2026, said Runar Bjørhovde, senior analyst at Omdia. “Amid restricted DRAM supply of both LPDDR4 and LPDDR5, the battle to secure supply and limit cost increases is intense amongst all vendors. All vendors are utilizing mitigating tactics, for example, by emphasising long-term partnerships, utilizing scale to secure capacity, and focusing on their supplier base. The situation is particularly critical for vendors with heavier exposure to entry-level smartphones, which are highly price elastic and where memory and storage costs make up a higher share of the bill-of-materials.”
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