“The earlier concerns around tariffs, which disrupted shipments in Q1, started to ease in the second quarter,” said the firm’s research director, Tarun Pathak. “Still, markets like China and North America continued to feel some impact, leading North America to stockpile shipments.”
Pathak also noted that affordable and entry-level 5G phones have gained popularity in emerging markets, while premium smartphone demand remained stable in mature regions.
Samsung retains top spot
Samsung held on to its position as the top smartphone brand globally in Q2 2025, posting an 8% YoY increase in shipments.
“The growth, which followed a strong Q1 driven by the Galaxy S25 series, came on the back of mid-tier phones’ stabilising performance across key markets, especially the A-series refresh. The company’s foldables and AI-led features helped retain brand stickiness,” said Shilpi Jain, Counterpoint Research’s senior analyst, on Samsung’s performance.
Other smartphones
Apple remained in second place with a 4% YoY increase. This was driven by early demand ahead of expected tariffs in North America and strong sales in India and Japan. Both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 series continued to perform well.
“We expect Apple to keep this momentum in H2 as well with the expected launch of the iPhone 17 series and increasing focus on ecosystem product bundling,” the report said.
Xiaomi followed closely in third place, with shipments staying largely flat compared to the previous year. Vivo and Oppo took fourth and fifth spots, respectively, supported by a stable mid-tier segment performance and improving demand in overseas markets such as Latin America and the Middle East and Africa (MEA).
Motorola stood out as one of the fastest-growing major brands, recording 16% YoY growth. The company’s performance was driven by strong sales in India, steady expansion in North America’s prepaid segment, and increasing competitiveness in the mid-range 5G category.
