One-in-four smartphones used are iPhones
Can anyone remember Steve Ballmer laughing at iPhone? I was today years old when I learned the iPhone now accounts for almost one in every four smartphones used worldwide, so the laughter of the then Microsoft CEO will echo through the age as an iconic illustration of hubris in crisis.
Counterpoint Research Senior Analyst Karn Chauhan said: “Apple leads the global active installed base, with about one in four active smartphones being an iPhone. This is driven by strong user loyalty, a deep iOS ecosystem and tightly integrated services.”
iPhone the one in four
The analyst also pointed out that Apple added more net new smartphone devices than the next seven leading OEMs combined in 2025, stressing this as illustrative of the company’s ability to attract and retain users in a mature market.
Indeed, Apple is now the world’s biggest smartphone maker by installed base, an achievement many since 2007 have tried to deride or actively prevent. Even today, the design direction Apple took with its device sets the tone for the entire industry.
Chauhan added, “Together, Apple and Samsung held 44% of the global active installed base in 2025. This advantage comes from longer replacement cycles as consumers keep devices longer due to incremental hardware innovations.
Big number on the list
“Their premium smartphones benefit from durable builds, extended software support, strong resale values, deeply integrated ecosystems and powerful global brand loyalty. These factors extend active device lifespans, encourage multi-owner usage and further widen their lead in user retention.”
As Apple gets ready to widen its market with the introduction of an upgraded iPhone 17e, spare a thought for others in the mid-range space Apple is evidently targeting with the move. “Six OEMs outside Apple and Samsung held only a single-digit sales share in the premium segment priced above $600 wholesale,” last year, Counterpoint said. “Only Apple and Samsung have managed to surpass the one-billion active devices milestone.”
The thing is, the market has changed, and while Apple sold iPhones in record quantities in 2025, the industry itself didn’t grow much at all (about 2%). What this means is that people aren’t coming into the smartphone ecosystem, they’re upgrading the smartphones they already have – and I believe this means millions are now switching to iPhone.
Growing beyond the four
Will the iPhone 17e accelerate, or simply consolidate that switch?
That remains to be seen, but with Apple expected to ship a smarter Siri at about the same time, the company’s marketing proposition seems clear to me. For c.$500, you get an AI smartphone with more market-leading built-in capabilities than you’ll find elsewhere at the price.
It’s really only a matter of time, then, until iPhone market share grows again.
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