Apple Ties Samsung as Top Smartphone Maker in 2025

Apple and Samsung produced nearly the same number of smartphones in 2025, tying for the top position in global smartphone production, according to a new report from TrendForce.

Global smartphone production reached approximately 1.254 billion units in 2025, rising 2.5% year over year. The research firm says Apple and Samsung each produced nearly 240 million smartphones during the year, tying for the top position in global production.

TrendForce says the smartphone market in the first half of 2025 benefited from China’s government subsidy programs, which stimulated demand, while the second half of the year was supported by the traditional seasonal peak driven by new flagship smartphone launches.

Apple’s production increased significantly toward the end of the year following the launch of the iPhone 17 lineup. TrendForce said Apple’s smartphone production rose more than 50% quarter over quarter in the fourth quarter of 2025, supported by strong shipments of the company’s latest iPhone models.

The report adds that the ‌iPhone 17‌ series benefited from well-positioned retail pricing, which helped drive strong market performance. TrendForce suggests that if Apple adopts a more aggressive pricing strategy in 2026, it could help sustain both production and sales momentum.

Looking ahead, the broader smartphone industry is expected to face mounting cost pressures. TrendForce says surging memory prices are likely to significantly increase smartphone production costs in 2026. As a result, global smartphone output is projected to decline by at least 10% year over year to around 1.135 billion units.

According to the firm, smartphone manufacturers will face a difficult choice between raising retail prices to preserve margins or lowering device specifications to maintain shipment volumes, with the entry-level segment expected to be most affected by rising component costs.

Beyond Apple and Samsung, several other manufacturers ranked among the largest producers in 2025. Xiaomi (including Redmi and POCO) ranked third with production close to 170 million units, followed by OPPO (including OnePlus and Realme) with 143 million units.

Vivo placed fifth, while Transsion (the company behind TECNO, Infinix, and itel) ranked sixth after sharply cutting production late in the year due to inventory adjustments and demand concerns in emerging markets. Honor ranked seventh after accelerating production toward the end of 2025, while Lenovo (including Motorola) ranked eighth with roughly 61 million smartphones produced during the year.

This article, “Apple Ties Samsung as Top Smartphone Maker in 2025” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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