You may criticize Apple in any way you like, but the latest data from Canalys proves that despite a slight dip in market share, Apple is still the top smartphone brand globally for 2024.

Looking at the bigger picture, the global smartphone market has grown by around 3% in the fourth quarter of 2024, making the fifth consecutive quarter that smartphone sales are recovering post-pandemic. The growth rate for Apple in 2024 may be slow (it’s actually a slight decline when compared to 2023 numbers), but the launch of the iPhone 16 series helped it maintain the top spot with a 23% market share. Samsung, on the other hand, experienced a decline but is still in second place thanks to the generally positive reception of its phones and its implementation of Galaxy AI across a variety of models.

Xiaomi is still in third place—and is the only brand in the top 5 to experience a year-on-year growth—while Transsion and vivo round up the top 5. For all brands in the top 5, they benefited from the recovery of emerging markets in the Asia-Pacific region like Southeast Asia and India.

Looking at 2025, Canalys thinks that Apple will be able to maintain its spot as it is expected to introduce a revamped product portfolio and a wider implementation of Apple Intelligence across all supported devices. As for other devices, Canalys foresees challenges in the midrange segment—especially with consumers in emerging markets being conscious of phones that offer great value for money.