Misfortune Helped: Apple Became the Leader in Smartphone Shipment Growth Last Quarter

The first calendar quarter ended more than two weeks ago, which was enough time for some analytical companies to sum up its results. IDC specialists found out that against the backdrop of the threat of import duties on Apple’s business, the company increased iPhone shipments by 10% last quarter, while the smartphone market as a whole grew by only 1.5%.

Image Source: Apple

In fact, this makes Apple the leader in terms of smartphone shipment dynamics in the first quarter, but formally it ranks second with 57.9 million iPhones shipped, while Samsung Electronics remains in first place with 60.6 million smartphones shipped to customers. Incidentally, Apple’s Korean competitor’s shipment volumes grew by only 0.6% year-on-year. In any case, while Apple was content with 19% of the market last quarter, Samsung occupied 19.9%. These figures have shifted towards each other in year-on-year comparison, since a year ago Samsung occupied 20.1%, while Apple was limited to 17.5% of the smartphone market. For the latter, the first quarter demonstrated a seasonal record for iPhone shipments.

In terms of shipment dynamics, Xiaomi also stood out in the top five smartphone manufacturers last quarter, increasing shipments by 2.5% to 41.8 million units and retaining third place, as well as Vivo, which in fifth place increased shipments by 6.3% to 22.7 million units. Oppo, which overtook it with 23.5 million smartphones shipped in the quarter, reduced its shipments by 6.8% year-on-year. All other smartphone manufacturers, reporting that they control less than a third of the global market, reduced their total shipments in the first quarter by 1.7% to 98.4 million units.

Image source: IDC

As noted by IDC representatives, the situation with the expectation of increased duties stimulated demand for iPhone not only in the American market, but also in other regions, since suppliers were worried about possible distortions in the demand structure and created increased warehouse stocks. Only in China the lack of subsidies for iPhone Pro models undermined demand for Apple products in this category. However, state subsidies that were extended to smartphones in China in the first quarter were able to fuel demand for models of other brands. The cost of a subsidized smartphone, according to the conditions proposed by the Chinese authorities, should not exceed $820.

The US smartphone market itself grew by 5% in the first quarter as a whole, as consumers actively bought up products other than Apple. Growth may continue in the second quarter due to inertia, but a decline is possible after that, especially if the introduction of customs tariffs increases smartphone prices in the local market.

Samsung’s not-so-bad smartphone supply dynamics are due to the continuing demand for the flagship Galaxy S25 series and new Galaxy A family models, including the A36 and A56. Xiaomi’s success in the first quarter was facilitated by subsidies in the Chinese market. Overall, the smartphone market grew by 1.5% in the first quarter to 304.9 million units in annual comparison.