Apple knocks out its rivals. Every fourth active smartphone is an iPhone

Counterpoint Research has published the latest data on the number of active smartphones in the world. They clearly show that only Apple and Samsung count in this global game. Both companies have exceeded the billion active devices barrier. This is an amazing result. It shows the strength of users’ attachment to these brands.

The global base of all working smartphones increased by 2 percent in 2025. It’s not much, but the market is saturated. The eight largest companies have a combined total of over 200 million active devices each. They control over 80% of the entire market. But the real fight is at the very top.

This is where it gets really interesting. Every fourth smartphone in use in the world is an iPhone. But that’s not all. Data is merciless to the competition. Apple added more net new devices to its database in 2025 than the next seven manufacturers combined. This shows the total dominance of the Cupertino company.

Samsung is firmly in second place. Koreans hold approximately 20% of the global base. Together, these two companies own 44 percent of all active phones on Earth. Their advantage results from one fact. Users of expensive flagships change brands less often and are more loyal.

It’s quite crowded behind the giants. We have Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo there. These brands build their position mainly in the mid-price range. They also try to strengthen their ecosystems. Honor has just joined the elite club of 200 million active devices. Motorola and Realme are also very close to this result.

An interesting case is the Transsion group (Infinix, Itel and Tecno). It is growing in strength thanks to very cheap phones. They are conquering markets in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. However, this is a different league than the premium segment, which is dominated by Apple and Samsung. It’s hard for other companies to break through. Apart from the “big two”, the share of other brands in the sales of phones costing more than $600 is negligible.

We change phones less and less often. The average lifespan of a smartphone is now approaching four years. We prefer to buy a more expensive model and use it longer. This is a problem for producers focused only on selling units. They need to start making money on services, not just hardware.

Apple does it best and sees double-digit growth in services revenue. Others are just trying to learn it. In the era of artificial intelligence, software becomes crucial. This is what will keep the user with the brand for years. Hardware becomes secondary, and what matters is the ecosystem and software support.

You can criticize Apple and Samsung for their lack of hardware innovations. However, it is these brands’ smartphones that users reach for most often, so the adopted strategy works. I am one of them and I cannot imagine replacing my Samsung (currently Galaxy Z Fold7) with a product from another company. Many iPhone and Galaxy owners would probably say the same.