According to a recent IDC report, Samsung regained leadership in the global smartphone market in the second quarter of 2025, outperforming rivals in a fierce competitive battle. The South Korean tech giant shipped 58 million smartphones in the quarter, taking 19.7% of the market, up 7.9% from the same period last year when it sold 53.8 million devices.
Apple came in second with 46.4 million shipments, securing a 15.7% share. Although this is slightly more than last year, it is a marked drop compared to the first quarter of 2025 – likely the result of customers waiting for the launch of the iPhone 17 series, which will take place in September this year.
According to IDC, Samsung’s mid-range Galaxy A36 and A56 models played a key role in this growth, thanks to AI-based features offered at competitive prices. However, the company’s performance in the second quarter was slightly down from 60.6 million shipments in the first quarter of 2025, when the Galaxy S25 series was in high demand at the beginning of the year.
Xiaomi ranked third with 42.5 million units shipped (14.4% of the market), while Vivo and Transsion (which owns Infinix, Itel, and Tecno) rounded out the top five with 27.1 million and 25.1 million units shipped, respectively – both companies have a 9.2% share.
Overall, the global smartphone market grew by 1% year-on-year to 295.2 million units in the second quarter, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of growth despite the ongoing economic challenges. Samsung’s latest flagship and foldable smartphones, including the Galaxy S25 Edge, Z Flip7, Z Flip7 FE and Z Fold7, are aimed at strengthening the premium segment, although it remains to be seen how much of an impact they will have.
Samsung’s ability to balance competitive mid-range offerings with flagship innovations helped the company regain the top spot in Q2 2025. Whether it can hold on as competitors step up their game remains to be seen in the coming months.
