Samsung may just have beaten Apple in Q1 2025 phone shipments

Samsung doesn't provide exact numbers for its smartphone shipments but there are three main market research firms that provide numbers for major players in the market to ascertain who came out on top, and whether the market shrank or grew in a quarter.

Their estimates can often be quite different from one another, and they're most certainly different for Q1 2025. Counterpoint Research had Apple overtaking Samsung in Q1 for the first time ever while Canalys finds that Samsung kept its lead.

Canalys has released its latest research report for Q1 2025. It found that the global smartphone market grew by just 0.2% in Q1 2025 with total shipments coming in at 296.9 million units. It placed Samsung in the lead with 60.5 million units and a 20% market share, a modest 1% annual growth. Apple came in second place with 55 million units shipped for 19% of the market, but representing a remarkable 13% increase year-over-year.

Counterpoint Research reported a 3% year-over-year growth in smartphone sales and gave Apple first place with 19% of the market and Samsung second place with 18%. IDC, the third major market research firm, also had Samsung in first place with 60.6 million units shipped and Apple in second with 57.9 million units.

It's common to see such differences between the observations of these research firms. Their evaluation methodologies vary significantly so it's tough to get an actual picture of what had transpired in the previous quarter. These reports just serve as surface-level guidance on the state of the global mobile market, and don't necessarily drive any strategy changes at either of these smartphone manufacturers.