The global smartphone market barely moved this past spring, showing just 1% growth. From April through June 2025, a total of 295.2 million phones shipped worldwide. That’s according to the latest report from International Data Corporation, better known as IDC, a leading firm in market analysis.
This small jump signals a tough period for phone makers. Economic worries are a big reason why. We’re talking about fluctuating taxes, unstable money exchange rates, unemployment, and rising prices. All these factors made people think twice before buying a new smartphone.
A big problem spot was China. It’s one of the world’s biggest smartphone markets. But demand there was lower than expected. This slowdown in China really held back overall market growth during the second quarter.
Looking at who sold what, Samsung still held the top spot. They shipped about 58 million phones, grabbing 19.7% of the market. Samsung’s sales actually grew by 7.9%. This boost came mainly from their popular new mid-range phones, the Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56.
Apple came in second, selling 46.4 million units. This gave them a 15.7% market share. Apple saw more sales in growing markets, but their numbers in China fell by 1%. This happened even during a big mid-year sales event there. Because of this, Apple’s global sales only grew by 1.5%.
Xiaomi landed in third place with 42.5 million phones shipped. They held 14.4% of the market. However, their growth was very small, just 0.6%. Following them was vivo, which sold 27.1 million units. This gave vivo 9.2% of the market, and they saw a decent 4.8% growth.
The fifth spot went to Transsion, a Chinese phone brand focused on Africa and the Middle East. They shipped 25.1 million units, taking 8.5% of the market. Transsion, which includes brands like Infinix, Tecno, and itel, actually saw a slight drop in sales, down 1.7%.
Even with these tough economic times, IDC analysts are hopeful. They believe the smartphone market will still grow. Experts expect things to pick up in the coming months, showing a more positive trend.