According to a new report published by Counterpoint Research, the success of the iPhone 17 series is expected to propel Apple past Samsung as the world’s largest phone manufacturer. Here are the details…

Apple to Post 10% Annual Growth in 2025

Earlier this month, Counterpoint Research released two reports showing that Apple is outperforming the rest of the phone market, largely thanks to the iPhone 17 series:

The first report showed that Apple’s sales increased by 22% in the first month of the iPhone 17’s launch, while the overall market declined by 2.7% during the same period.
The second report claimed that Apple saw a 37% year-over-year increase in iPhone sales in October, while the overall market saw an 8% increase.

According to a new Counterpoint report published by Bloomberg, Samsung is expected to close 2025 with a 4.6% increase in phone sales, while Apple is projected to post 10% annual growth. This growth will be enough to propel the company back to the top spot as the world’s leading phone maker and reclaim a 19.4% market share.

Commenting on the figures, Counterpoint analyst Yang Wang said:

“Beyond the extremely positive market acceptance of the iPhone 17 series, the key driver behind the elevated shipment outlook is the inflection point of the replacement cycle. […] Consumers who bought smartphones during the Covid-19 boom are now entering the upgrade phase. Furthermore, 358 million pre-owned iPhones were sold between the second quarter of 2023 and 2025. These users are also likely to upgrade to a new iPhone in the coming years.”

The report projects that the broader smartphone market will grow by a more modest 3.3%, and that Apple will remain the world’s top-selling smartphone maker until at least 2029, helped by the reported foldable iPhone and iPhone 17e.

This report comes on the heels of Apple’s own guidance that this holiday quarter will be the biggest quarter in the company’s history. Company CEO Tim Cook repeatedly highlighted the strong early performance of the iPhone 17 series during the last earnings call, despite the reportedly lukewarm response to the iPhone Air model in particular.