iPhone 16 is again the leader in the world ranking: who is left behind?

Apple's new flagship, the iPhone 16, once again took first place in the global smartphone sales ranking in the first quarter of 2025. This was announced by the research agency Counterpoint Research in its latest report. Thus, for the first time in the last two years, an Apple smartphone has taken the top spot in the ranking.

In achieving this success, Apple continues to demonstrate its strength not only with the basic iPhone 16, but also with its other models. In particular, the premium iPhone 16 Pro Max took second place, and the iPhone 16 Pro took third place. It is noteworthy that despite the large subsidies provided to low-cost models in the Chinese market and increased demand, Apple's flagship and premium smartphones have accounted for almost half of the company's sales for three consecutive quarters.

The company's relatively inexpensive and affordable model, the iPhone 16e, managed to take sixth place in the global ranking in March, despite only going on sale in February. Although its price is higher than the iPhone SE, released in 2022, it quickly gained high demand among buyers due to its improved technical capabilities and increased functionality. According to expert forecasts, by the end of the year, the iPhone 16e is expected to surpass the sales results of its predecessor budget models.

At the same time, Samsung also maintained its stable positions in the ranking. In particular, the Galaxy A16 5G model managed to enter the top five due to high demand in North America and other developing markets. However, the company's premium model Galaxy S25 Ultra fell from fifth to seventh place compared to last year's Galaxy S24 Ultra. This is mainly due to the fact that the smartphone was released later and had less time on sale in the first quarter.

Also, interest in budget smartphones around the world is experiencing significant growth. The market share of smartphones priced under $ 100 has reached 20 percent, becoming the fastest-growing smartphone category. In particular, the Galaxy A06 and Xiaomi's Redmi 14C 4G smartphones stand out in this regard. In particular, the Redmi 14C 4G is the only smartphone not belonging to the Apple and Samsung brands, and in terms of sales volume, it has recorded a 43 percent increase compared to the Redmi 13C 4G model last year.

Experts note that despite global economic instability, market fluctuations and various factors in the sales direction, it is expected that the leading positions in the smartphone market will not change significantly in the near future. Large brands such as Apple and Samsung are expected to remain the main players in the market in the near future.

Photo: Lifehacker.ru