The iPhone 16 took first place in sales in the world in the first quarter of 2025. As Counterpoint Research notes, among the top 10 most popular devices, there is only one that does not belong to the Apple or Samsung lines.
Among other things, this quarter marked the return of the base model to the top of sales. This increase is due to good results in Japan, the Middle East and Africa. At the same time, the Pro models, although they occupy second and third positions, are struggling in the Chinese market due to government subsidies that favor devices priced under 6,000 yuan (~$833).
The iPhone 16e, which was introduced earlier this year, had a strong debut, becoming the sixth best-selling smartphone in March, its first full month of sales. Counterpoint Research notes that despite its higher price, the 16e is likely to overtake the iPhone SE 2022 in sales in its first year.
The second company that dominates sales is Samsung, but the most popular were the company's cheaper smartphones - the Galaxy A16 5G and Galaxy A06, which show better results than previous models in their respective lines. The flagship smartphone Samsung S25 Ultra ranks seventh due to a smaller sales window. Counterpoint notes that the S25 series has a stable position in the market and is responsible for a quarter of all Samsung smartphones sold.
The only device in the top 10 most popular smartphones is not from Apple or Samsung, and that's Xiaomi's Redmi 14C 4G. Sales of the model increased by 43% compared to last year's 13C 4G, with most of the demand coming from emerging markets such as the Middle East and Latin America.