Is the iPhone 16 the world’s best-selling smartphone in Q1 2025?

New Delhi, May 28 (NationPress) According to a recent report published on Wednesday, Apple’s iPhone 16 has emerged as the world's best-selling smartphone for the first quarter of 2025 (January-March).

This achievement signals the return of the base variant of the iPhone series to the forefront after a two-year hiatus, as reported by Counterpoint Research's ‘Global Handset Model Sales Tracker’.

Apple has consistently maintained a robust presence in the top-10 rankings, occupying five positions for five consecutive March quarters.

In contrast, Samsung has one less model in the lineup compared to the previous year.

While the overall share of the top 10 smartphones in global sales remained stable, the low-end smartphones (priced below $100) in this list have seen an uptick in their share, according to the report.

The iPhone 16 has shown strong performance in Japan as well as in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), with Japan noting the most significant growth in base variant sales.

Favorable economic conditions and updated subsidy regulations have positively impacted Apple's pricing strategy and ecosystem, further enhancing its attractiveness in the Japanese market.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro followed closely, ranking second and third respectively.

Apple's newly launched iPhone 16e made an impressive entry, landing the sixth position in the global top-10 list for March 2025, marking its first full month of sales.

Despite being priced higher than the SE 2022, the 16e is anticipated to surpass its predecessor in performance during its inaugural year, driven by significant technological innovations and an enhanced feature set, as stated in the report.

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra claimed the seventh position in Q1 2025, a drop from the fifth place held by the S24 Ultra in Q1 2024.

This change is largely attributed to a shorter sales window for the S25 Ultra within the quarter. Nevertheless, the S25 series managed to achieve steady outcomes, accounting for one-fourth of Samsung’s total smartphone sales during its active sales month.

The deeper integration of Gemini technology within the S25 series also indicates Samsung’s transition towards a more intelligent AI experience, enhancing both user productivity and personalization.

Xiaomi’s Redmi 14C 4G was the only model apart from Apple and Samsung to break into the global top-10 list, showcasing an impressive 43 percent year-over-year growth over the Redmi 13C 4G, according to the report.

Looking ahead, despite ongoing tariff disputes and wider market uncertainties, the market share of the top 10 best-selling smartphone models is projected to remain relatively stable, the report concluded.