Insights At a Glance:
- iPhone 16 is the world’s best-selling phone in Q1 2025, beating even the iPhone 16 Pro Max — but Apple still holds just 5 of the top 10 spots, same as last year.
- Samsung’s Galaxy A-series continues to thrive, with the A16 5G and A06 leading in emerging markets, while the S25 Ultra slips to 7th.
- Xiaomi is back, sneaking into the top 10 with the ultra-budget Redmi 14C 4G after missing out last year.
Apple is back at the top — again. According to Counterpoint’s latest Q1 2025 data, the standard iPhone 16 has become the best-selling smartphone in the world, overtaking its Pro Max sibling. But that’s not the only surprise in the latest rankings. A new Samsung A-series phone is climbing fast, Xiaomi is making a comeback, and budget phones are quietly powering global sales in ways that shouldn’t be ignored.
The iPhone 16 Wins But This Time It’s Not the Pro Max
Apple swept the top four positions with:
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 15
Unlike Q1 2024 where the iPhone 15 Pro Max stole the show, the regular iPhone 16 outsold even its fancier Pro Max sibling in Q1 2025. Why? According to Counterpoint, Apple’s expansion in MEA (Middle East and Africa), Asia, and Japan played a massive role, with the more affordable standard model appealing to a wider global audience.
It’s also notable that five of the top 10 best-sellers were iPhones — the same number as Q1 2024. The iPhone 16 Plus is the other model, which barely edged into 10th place. Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Plus, and iPhone 14 dropped off the list, showing that older models are finally beginning to fade.
Samsung’s Budget Phones Are the Real Workhorses
Samsung held steady with four devices in the top 10 – a drop from last year’s five – though the lineup changed quite a bit. The Galaxy A16 5G and A06 took 5th and 6th spots respectively — replacing their respective predecessors in Galaxy A15 5G and A05.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S25 Ultra claimed 7th place. That’s a slip compared to the S24 Ultra, which was 5th in Q1 2024. Still, the Ultra held its ground globally and continues to represent Samsung’s only premium device in the top rankings.
Samsung is crushing it in value-for-money territory, especially in MEA and LATAM, where cheap but capable phones matter more than cutting-edge innovation. This partly explains the recent surge in shipments in MEA region by 7%, with Samsung among the biggest gainers.
Xiaomi Sneaks Back with a Budget Banger
Guess who’s back? After missing out entirely in Q1 2024, Xiaomi took a spot in the top 10 best selling smartphones in Q1 2025 with the Redmi 14C 4G, ranked 8th. No frills, no gimmicks — just a solid budget phone with wide appeal in developing markets like Kenya, where the phone debuted last September. The model saw a 43% year-over-year sales jump, according to Counterpoint.
Premium vs Budget: Who’s Really Winning?
Five out of the top ten phones in Q1 2025 are considered premium (wholesale price $600+), down from six last year — a subtle but important shift in the market. While premium heavyweights like the iPhone 16 lineup and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra dominate global brand perception, budget warriors like Galaxy A06, A16 5G, and Redmi 14C 4G are quietly dominating emerging markets.
The Q1 2025 rankings aren’t just a popularity contest — they’re a mirror of global smartphone trends:
- Apple is successfully pushing its latest models deeper into new markets.
- Samsung is holding ground by leaning into affordable phones, not just flashy flagships.
- Xiaomi is back in the game by doing what it does best — undercutting the competition on price.
Whether you’re Team iPhone or rooting for Android, it’s clear that affordability is just as important as innovation, and the smartphone race is far from over.
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