Let’s talk about the global smartphone market, which is also surprising. Which was the best selling phone this year?
It was the iPhone 16 Pro Max. And if I tell you which was the best selling Android phone in 2025, it was Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra. That means many amazing phones were launched here.
Samsung
But if we talk about the global market, the number one company is already Samsung.
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 was amazing this time. Its sales have boosted a lot. No matter how much we say about Samsung, but after seeing the name of AI, we can say that Samsung has sold a lot of phones here. In comparison to which, Samsung is sitting as the number one company. Along with this, Samsung’s biggest volume-driven was its A series phones.
We can say anything about A series phones, but literally their sales are high in the market. Not in India, but in the global market. And if we talk about M and F series, then mostly they are India-focused.
But these phones of M and F series, Samsung does not design it itself in today’s time. It is the ODM partner that designs the phones for Samsung. And makes the phones of M and F series here. And that’s why Samsung is sitting as the number one company in the global market.
The reason for this is its sales and distribution, which is its global setup. And because of its strong manufacturing, they ship a lot of phones here.
Apple
Along with this, the next company is obviously Apple. Now Apple is here because Apple’s iPhone is one of the best selling phones.
When the iPhone 16 lineup was launched, do you know which was the best selling iPhone?
That was the iPhone 16 Pro Max. It was out of stock as soon as it came.
There were limited quantities, but Apple sold a lot. After that, the sales of iPhone 16 also increased a lot. In 2025, iPhone 16 is already selling very well. It can also be one of the best selling phones of 2025. In the lineup of iPhone 16, its Pro models are also sold here.
But surprisingly, the second position that Apple achieved, it did with its old models. iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 are still available in the market. And globally there are a lot of people who like to buy iPhone 15 here.
Apple as a brand, its brand recognition and brand value is not limited to India, it is global. That is, it is good in the US, it is good in India. But apart from this, Apple’s brand recognition in other countries is also very good. But Apple can face a small problem with iPhone 16 in the coming time.
There are not many new things coming in iPhone 16. The impact of which is the sales of iPhone 16 is less than that of iPhone 15. Because literally there will be nothing new in the lineup of iPhone 16. The camera layout will change in the regular iPhone 16 model, but the sensors will be used there. The processor will be changed because Apple is its own Apple Intelligence.
But how it will perform in the real world, how big the driving factor will be, Apple still does not know. Because of this, the sales of Apple’s iPhone will be a little flat this year.
Xiaomi
Talking about the third position, that is your Xiaomi. Xiaomi is coming on the third place market share, which is a very surprising thing. But Xiaomi as a Chinese company has not yet been able to get the global recognition it should get.
Because when I move to Western countries, there is the presence of a Chinese company. But still the Chinese companies are not able to make their stronghold there. Because the problem with the Chinese company is that they are not considered a tier 1 or premium brand there. Because of which the majority of phones sold there today are Apple’s iPhone or Samsung.
You get to see them at number 1 and number 2 positions. Xiaomi’s global third position rank has come due to India and the Chinese market. After the arrival of HyperOS in the Chinese market, it has shown an improvement in its ecosystem.
It has performed very well in its premium phones in the Chinese market. In India, in the last quarter, these people became number 1 again in India, which was a surprising thing. And now if I am talking about Xiaomi, then Poco Redmi is included in it.
Their talk is combined. And they have shown stronghold in India. In India, the position is good, number 1, they are doing well in China. And because of this, they come on the global number 3.
Because the volume they are taking out is India and China are taking out here.
OPPO
After this, the next position comes of Oppo, in which OnePlus is included. OnePlus and Oppo do business together in India.
In the Chinese market, Oppo releases its flagship series. If we talk about India, then the presence of Oppo in India is still a little off-line. But the product is a little mediocre. Apart from this, OnePlus is doing well in its Nord lineup in India. Because of this, it got a global fourth position. And Oppo, which sells its premium phones elsewhere, got an advantage from it.
With this, the fifth position comes of Vivo. Vivo And in Vivo, iQoo is included. Now if we talk with iQoo, then iQoo’s presence was in China, India and some other countries.
Vivo’s presence is also not that strong globally. Vivo also does the majority of phone sales in China and India. In India, it has a stronghold. Vivo has worked very well in the offline market.
In online, iQoo is slowly taking its step. But with this, if they distribute themselves better, and make their presence globally, then they can do better here. If we talk about Vivo, then the name of TransSign Holding
Transsion
TransSign is also doing an interesting job. In which ITEL, Infinix and TECNO are combined. This is a Chinese company, but its presence in China is not that strong.
Its presence comes in developing countries. Especially in many African countries, it has made its stronghold. In India, they are also doing a good job. And they have captured the tier 3 market in India.
That is the market where people don’t buy phones above 10-12K. Or they are going to buy their first smartphone. This is the target. ITEL is working at the entry level.
Infinix is working at the mid-range level. And TECNO is trying to focus on premium. This is a simple story. In India, TransSign Holding is doing a good job at the global level. And sometimes, it achieves a position that leaves Vivo behind.
There are many other companies in this list. Like Google Pixel. We know that Google Pixel doesn’t perform well in India.
In the global market, there is a good growth in the US. Where many people will start transferring to Google Pixel. But in the US market, there is still an iPhone shortage. But look at one surprising thing. The country where Google Pixel is growing the most is Japan.
Google Pixel is selling a lot in Japan. Google Pixel is doing well there. But Samsung is not doing well in the Japanese market. Samsung’s hold in India and South Korea is not as strong as in China. And it is not in the Japanese market.
Where other companies are ahead.
Google Pixel has taken the lead in Japan. There is a company like E1Sharp which is doing well in Japan. But its phones are not available globally.
Huawei
Huawei performs the best in the Chinese market. After the ban, Huawei’s presence in the world is gone. And there is no trace of Huawei in India.
But Huawei is a strong company in the Chinese market. Huawei produces unique and innovative products. Because of which Chinese people buy Huawei phones. Huawei achieves a good position globally only because of China.
Moto
Motorola sells its entry-level phones in the US market. But they are doing well in the Indian market. They are one of the fastest growing brands in India.
But Motorola still has a lot of work to do. Motorola has not achieved the top 10 position yet. Motorola’s after-sales service and software update policy are not working. They need to remove bugs. They have cracked software but they can still work.
Nothing
Nothing is not a big company. There is no global presence. India is one of the fastest growing markets. But they sell their phones in the UK.
They are not popular in the US. They are popular in the Japanese market. But nothing is doing well globally. Except in the Indian market.
Conclusion
The top players in the global market have made their places. Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi companies have created a monopoly. It is difficult to make a place for other companies.
Let’s see what happens in the future. Many people wanted to know about global smartphones. I told you what is happening globally.
