Apple now commands roughly one in four active smartphones worldwide, according to new data from Counterpoint Research. The findings show Apple's installed base grew to approximately 25% of all active devices in 2025, driven by strong user loyalty, integrated services, and the broader Apple ecosystem.

Unlike shipment figures that measure yearly sales, installed base data reflects the total number of devices currently in use, making it a key indicator of long-term platform choices. The report reveals that Apple added more net new active devices in 2025 than the next seven leading smartphone manufacturers combined, even as global smartphone growth slows and hardware innovation becomes more incremental.

Samsung ranks second with approximately one-fifth of the global active smartphone installed base, and together Apple and Samsung account for 44% of all active devices worldwide. The two companies are the only smartphone manufacturers to surpass one billion active devices globally, while other brands like Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo form a second tier with smaller installed bases. Apple's dominance is attributed to lengthening replacement cycles of nearly four years, longer software support for premium devices, higher resale values, and increasing differentiation through software and ecosystem integration rather than hardware innovation.