Global smartphone shipments increased by 1.0% year-over-year in Q2 2025, reaching 295.2 million units, according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.
IDC noted that although the market showed overall stability, demand was impacted by ongoing macroeconomic pressures, including currency fluctuations, inflation, unemployment, and uncertainty around tariffs. These challenges particularly affected the budget segment, leading to reduced momentum for low-end Android devices.
Economic Pressures Weigh on Entry-Level Segment
Lower-priced smartphones—especially in the Android ecosystem—faced weaker demand as economic uncertainty influenced consumer spending. According to Nabila Popal, Senior Research Director at IDC, price-sensitive buyers are postponing purchases, which has slowed growth in this category.
China did not meet expectations in Q2, with limited impact from subsidies and weak consumer interest, said Popal. While the 618 e-commerce festival in China saw strong sell-through, it largely served as a platform for clearing excess inventory rather than driving new shipments, with OEMs and retailers focused on stock reduction.
Apple maintained its position as the top-selling brand during the festival period. However, it reported a 1% year-over-year decline in China for the quarter. Strong double-digit growth in emerging markets helped the company achieve a 1.5% increase in global shipments.
Q2 2025 smartphone shipments with market share
- Samsung led the market with 58 million units shipped, capturing 19.7% of global share.
- Apple followed with 46.4 million shipments, securing a 15.7% slice of the market.
- Xiaomi shipped 42.5 million devices, accounting for 14.4% of global shipments.
- vivo reached 27.1 million units, holding 9.2% of the global share.
- Transsion contributed 25.1 million shipments, representing 8.5% of the market.
- Other brands collectively shipped 96.1 million units, making up 32.6% of global volume.
In total, the industry shipped 295.2 million smartphones in Q2 2025.
Samsung Leads Market with AI-Driven Models
Samsung strengthened its lead in the global smartphone market, outperforming the broader industry during Q2. According to Francisco Jeronimo, Vice President of Client Devices at IDC, this growth was led by solid sales of the Galaxy A36 and A56.
These mid-range devices introduced AI-powered features that attracted customer interest, particularly through in-store experiences where such capabilities were highlighted effectively.
Steady Growth Despite Global Uncertainty
Despite global challenges, including geopolitical tensions and tariff impacts, the smartphone market recorded its eighth consecutive quarter of growth—an achievement not seen since 2013.
The 1% growth, in spite of complex global issues, signals a hopeful return to growth, said Anthony Scarsella, Research Director at IDC. He added that Q2 featured a broad range of new devices with innovative design and integrated AI, helping sustain momentum across the market.