For the past five years, Samsung has been under significant pressure, with both Apple and the rising wave of Chinese competition eating into its market share. With growing competition coming from its long-term rival and brands like Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo, Samsung’s smartphone shipments dropped significantly, putting Apple’s iPhone in the lead. However, things shifted in 2025, with Apple’s dominance melting away and turning into a massive shipments gap.
According to data presented by Jemlit.com, Samsung shipped 180 million smartphones in the first nine months of the year, 10% more than Apple, leaving the tech giant 17 million units behind.
Apple Led Smartphone Shipments in Only Two of The Past Ten Years
Up until 2019, the South Korean tech giant Samsung had been regularly shipping roughly 40% more smartphones annually than its biggest rival, Apple. But this huge shipment gap began to close in 2020, as Samsung’s shipments dropped while Apple’s increased, and several factors drove this shift.
The South Korean tech giant shifted its focus away from the budget models that once drove high sales volumes to high-end models like the Z series and Galaxy S. At the same time, Chinese competitors Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo made significant strides over the years, gaining market share in regions where Samsung traditionally led with affordable devices. On the other hand, Apple’s integrated ecosystem, strong brand loyalty, longer upgrade cycles, and software kept customers locked into the iPhone, fueling steady growth. The U.S. tech giant’s growing presence in regions like India, aided by local manufacturing, also boosted sales. This perfect storm of events has caused the once-massive 30%-40% shipment gap to totally melt, with iPhone taking the lead in annual smartphone sales.
In 2023, Apple shipped 231.5 million iPhones, 2% more than Samsung, which shipped 226.5 million devices. The trend continued last year, with Apple again leading by 2% in market share. However, what seemed like the start of a significant shift in smartphone dominance was halted early in 2025.
Samsung managed to stay competitive in 2025 by relying on strong sales in its premium segment, including Galaxy S and Z models, where Chinese brands still fall behind. It has also boosted its mid-range Galaxy A series to defend its market share in regions where Xiaomi, Vivo, and Transsion are growing the fastest. As a result, Samsung’s smartphone shipments have seen three straight quarters of growth in 2025, rising by 0.6%, 7.9% and 6.3% year-over-year, and reaching 180 million units sold over the first nine months. That is 17.2 million units or nearly 10% more than Apple’s nine-month shipments of 162.9 million devices.
It will be interesting to see what the Q4 figures reveal, which is usually the strongest quarter for smartphone sales. But even if Apple’s sales rise, it doesn’t change the fact that the U.S. tech giant led global smartphone sales in only two of the past ten years, proving Samsung’s long-standing dominance.
Samsung’s 10-Year Lead Still Stands at a Gigantic 805 Million Shipments
Samsung’s market dominance is also clearly reflected in its cumulative 10-year shipments, despite the considerable annual decline. Between 2014 and 2024, Samsung’s annual shipments dropped by nearly 30%, falling from 318 million to 223 million. Despite the obvious decline, the South Korean tech giant still shipped a head-spinning 3.1 billion smartphones over the past decade, or 25% more than Apple.
While iPhone’s annual shipments jumped by 19% over the same period, its 10-year sales total is much lower, at around 2.3 billion, or 805 million fewer than Samsung’s.