One in four smartphones currently in use worldwide is an iPhone, claims report

Apple iPhones

• Apple now has 25% of active smartphones worldwide, increasing its lead.
• Device replacement cycles extended to nearly 4 years by 2025, enhancing longevity.
• Apple and Samsung together account for 44 percent of global active smartphones

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The global installed base of active smartphones grew by 2 percent in 2025, according to Counterpoint Research, but the real story is Apple’s widening lead in long-term user retention. Around one in four active smartphones in use globally is now an iPhone, underlining Apple’s dominance in a maturing market where shipment growth has slowed and device longevity matters more than ever.

Counterpoint defines the active installed base as smartphones currently in use, a metric that captures user loyalty, ecosystem stickiness and extended replacement cycles, rather than short-term shipment volumes. In 2025, replacement cycles stretched to nearly four years, supported by incremental hardware upgrades and a growing second-life market for used devices.

Apple and Samsung remain in a league of their own. Both have surpassed the one-billion active devices milestone, a scale no other manufacturer has reached. Together, they accounted for 44 percent of the global active installed base last year. Apple leads the pack, adding more net new active smartphones in 2025 than the next seven largest OEMs combined, despite the market’s overall slowdown.

Karn Chauhan, senior analyst, Counterpoint, said, “Apple leads the global active installed base, with about one in four active smartphones being an iPhone. This is driven by strong user loyalty, a deep iOS ecosystem and tightly integrated services.

Samsung ranks second with around one-fifth of the global installed base, helped by its broad portfolio spanning entry-level to premium devices and its extensive reach across regions. However, Counterpoint notes that Apple’s advantage lies in its tightly integrated ecosystem, strong resale values and longer software support, all of which extend device lifespans and encourage multi-owner usage.

"Only Apple and Samsung have surpassed the one-billion active devices milestone, showing their ability to keep users engaged over time," said Tarun Pathak, research director, Counterpoint Research.

How other brands are doing

Beyond the top two, a second tier of brands including Xiaomi, OPPO and vivo have each crossed 200 million active devices by focusing on the mid and upper-mid segments, while Transsion Group has built scale through affordable smartphones tailored for price-sensitive markets in Africa and Southeast Asia. HONOR recently joined the 200 million club, with Motorola and Realme close behind.

The report highlights a growing challenge for Android brands in the premium segment. In 2025, only Apple and Samsung held meaningful share above the $600 wholesale price band, with six other OEMs collectively stuck in single digits. Rising component costs, memory shortages and limited availability of higher-spec models are further slowing premium adoption and pushing users to hold on to devices longer.

As hardware innovation plateaus, differentiation is increasingly shifting to software, services and on-device AI. Features such as camera intelligence, productivity tools and seamless cross-device integration are becoming central to user loyalty. Apple remains the only OEM consistently converting its installed base into high-margin services revenue, which continues to grow at a double-digit pace.

With replacement cycles lengthening and shipment growth flattening, Counterpoint argues that the future of the smartphone business will be defined less by how many phones brands sell each year, and more by how long users stay within their ecosystems. On that front, Apple’s iPhone lead is becoming harder for rivals to close.