Apple’s iPhone 16 world’s best-selling smartphone in Q1 2025: Report

Apple maintained its strong presence in the top-10 list, securing five spots for the fifth consecutive March quarter.

New Delhi: Apple’s iPhone 16 was the world’s best-selling smartphone in Q1 2025 (January-March period), according to a new report released on Wednesday.

This also marked the return of the iPhone series’ base variant to the top spot in the first quarter after a gap of two years, according to Counterpoint Research’s ‘Global Handset Model Sales Tracker’.

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Apple maintained its strong presence in the top-10 list, securing five spots for the fifth consecutive March quarter.

Meanwhile, Samsung featured one fewer model compared to the same period last year. While the top 10 smartphones’ share in overall global sales remained stable, the low-end (less than $100) smartphones in the top 10 saw an increase in their contribution, the report noted.

The iPhone 16 performed well in Japan and the Middle East and Africa (MEA), with Japan recording the highest growth in base variant sales.

Improved economic conditions and revised subsidy regulations favoured Apple’s pricing strategy and ecosystem, further strengthening its appeal in the Japanese market.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro ranked second and third in the list, respectively. Apple’s iPhone 16e made a strong debut, securing the sixth spot in the global top-10 list for March 2025, its first full month of sales.

Despite a higher price compared to the SE 2022, the 16e is expected to outperform its predecessor during its first year. This success will be largely driven by its significant technological advancements and expanded feature set, said the report.

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra secured the seventh spot in Q1 2025, down from the fifth spot held by the S24 Ultra in Q1 2024.

This shift was primarily due to a shorter sales window for the S25 Ultra during the quarter. Despite the limited availability, the S25 series delivered steady results, contributing one-fourth of Samsung’s total smartphone sales in its active sales month.

With deeper Gemini integration, the S25 series also signals Samsung’s shift toward a more agentic AI experience, enhancing user productivity and personalisation.

Xiaomi’s Redmi 14C 4G was the only model outside of Apple and Samsung to make it to the global top-10 list. It achieved an impressive 43 per cent YoY growth over the Redmi 13C 4G, said the report.

Going forward, despite ongoing tariff tensions and broader market uncertainties, the share of the top 10 best-selling smartphone models is expected to remain relatively stable, the report added.