In Q1 2025, the iPhone 16 was the best selling smartphone globally, followed by the iPhone 16 Pro Max, 16 Pro, 15, Samsung Galaxy A16, Galaxy A06, and S25 Ultra
- Apple's iPhone 16 was the best-selling smartphone in Q1 2025. This also marked the return of the iPhone series' base variant …
Context & Ripple Effects
This marks a shift from the prior Q1, when the iPhone 15 Pro Max led the global rankings and Pro models accounted for half of Apple’s sales. The iPhone 16’s first-place finish puts the base model back at the center of Apple’s volume performance.
Apple holds the top four positions in this Q1 ranking, while Samsung’s Galaxy A16, A06, and S25 Ultra span budget and premium tiers. Later coverage that placed the iPhone 16 first for the full year suggests the Q1 result was not an isolated launch-period outcome.
First-order effects
- Apple’s current iPhone lineup occupies the first four global best-selling positions, with the base iPhone 16 ahead of both Pro variants.
- Samsung retains three top-seven models, but its entries are split between lower-cost Galaxy A devices and the S25 Ultra rather than concentrated at the top.
Second-order effects
- The base iPhone 16’s lead strengthens the commercial importance of Apple’s standard model alongside its higher-priced Pro range, following the earlier Pro-led Q1 performance.
- Samsung’s mix in the ranking underscores the need to compete across entry-level volume and flagship visibility, not solely through its premium Galaxy S line.
Third-order effects
- If this pattern persists, the top-selling-phone market may become more concentrated around a small number of globally scaled Apple and Samsung product families, even as they serve distinct price tiers.
- The result also suggests that flagship-cycle leadership cannot be inferred from premium models alone: base models and low-cost devices can determine the highest-volume rankings.
The trend: Smartphone sales leadership is increasingly being decided by vendors that can place both mainstream and premium models among global volume leaders.