The active smartphone installed base grew 2% YoY globally in 2025; eight OEMs had 200M+ active devices each, and nearly 25% of active smartphones were iPhones
Tarun is a Research Director with Counterpoint Research, based out of Gurgaon (near New Delhi).
Context & Ripple Effects
The installed-base reading follows a 2025 shipment market that also grew 2%, with Apple leading shipments and growing faster than Samsung in the related coverage. That makes the base data a measure of which manufacturers have converted annual sales into durable device reach, rather than a standalone shipment result.
Apple’s installed-base position extends a longer arc: it reported more than 900 million active iPhones in 2018, while its U.S. active base had already moved above half the market in 2022. The new global reading shows that installed-base concentration remains central to smartphone competition.
First-order effects
- Apple now has an active-device footprint representing nearly one-quarter of global smartphones, strengthening the immediate reach of the iPhone ecosystem.
- Eight OEMs have active bases above 200 million devices, giving each a substantial pool of existing users to retain and upgrade as the global base expands only modestly.
Second-order effects
- With 2025 shipments also up only 2%, OEMs have greater incentive to defend replacement cycles and extract more value from existing users, not merely chase new-device volume; Apple’s faster 2025 shipment growth reinforces that pressure.
- Large active bases raise the strategic value of software, services, accessories and trade-in offers, since those products can be distributed across an OEM’s existing device population.
Third-order effects
- If low single-digit installed-base growth persists, smartphone competition is likely to be shaped increasingly by retention and revenue concentration among leading brands rather than unit-share gains alone.
- The divide between OEMs with hundreds of millions of active devices and smaller vendors could become more consequential, although the data alone does not establish how effectively each company monetizes or retains its base.
The trend: The smartphone market is evolving from a volume-led handset business toward competition over the value and durability of large installed bases.