Apple Hits Highest-Ever Single-Month Market Share
- Apple’s global smartphone market sell-through share reached 24.2% in October, its highest ever for a month.
- Led by strong sales of the iPhone 17 series, especially in the US and China, Apple’s global smartphone sell-through grew 12% YoY in October 2025.
- The 17 series is outperforming the 16 series, with the base iPhone 17 showing the strongest YoY growth.
- Apple is on pace for a record-setting calendar Q4 2025 to become the #1 brand for 2025.
Seoul, Beijing, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Fort Collins, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, Taipei, Tokyo – November 28, 2025
Apple’s smartphone sell-through volumes grew 12% YoY in October, according to Counterpoint Research’s Market Pulse service. The brand achieved its highest single-month global smartphone market sell-through share in October 2025, reaching 24.2%. The iPhone 17 series’ success has been the key driver for Apple’s growth, supported by a major upgrade cycle of COVID-era iPhone buyers across the brand’s key mature markets like the US ,China and Western Europe . Besides, a wider portfolio (inclusion of the 16e and more legacy models) and growth in emerging markets also added to Apple’s growth in October.
Through the first six weeks of its sales, the iPhone 17 series outperformed the iPhone 16 series’ initial sales last year. According to our weekly trackers, sales were up across markets, especially in the US (+11% YoY), China (+47% YoY) and Japan (+8%). The base iPhone 17, leading YoY improvements among the newest models, is a great value proposition, offering Pro features without the price tag of one. There has been a steady trickle down of Pro display, camera and processing features to the base model over the past few iPhone generations, and the base iPhone 17 is the culmination of that. The iPhone Air , however, performed underwhelmingly, largely due to its non-availability in China for most of October. The Pro models, which have further enhanced the power user experience with better cooling, camera and processing chops, were also up YoY.
Apple’s Global Smartphone Market Sell-through Share, Oct 2013 – Oct 2025
China was Apple’s fastest-growing market in October, driven by the iPhone 17 series’ sales. All available iPhone 17 variants performed extremely well, led by the base variant. Commenting on Apple’s recent success in China, Senior Analyst Ivan Lam said, “The iPhone 17 series is a great product, but there are also a lot of moving parts working in Apple’s favor. Chiefly, COVID upgrade cycles are hitting their peaks, while Mid-Autumn festival sales pushed further into October even as the 11.11 sales period began earlier this year.”
Adding further nuance on Apple’s YoY growth, Senior Analyst Varun Mishra said, “Apple is benefitting from a perfect storm of growth drivers – a strong upgrade cycle in its mature markets, continuing premiumization and expansion helping drive growth in emerging markets, and increased portfolio width. Besides the addition of the 16e this year, there are more legacy iPhones available across markets, and at lower price points, than ever before.”
Apple has been among the fastest-growing brands year-to-date, and we expect it to maintain momentum through Q4. Commenting on Apple’s outlook for the rest of the year, Research Director Jeff Fieldhack said, “We expect Apple to end 2025 on a high, likely setting a fourth quarter record in terms of sell-through volumes. Continued strong sales of the iPhone 17 series and a solid promotions season, covering Black Friday, Singles Day and the holiday season, are expected to help Apple push its Q4 and full-year 2025 volumes. We expect Apple to become the #1 brand in 2025, for the first time since 2011, and retain the top position through 2029.”
About Counterpoint Research
Counterpoint Research is a global market research firm specializing in products across the technology ecosystem. We advise a diverse range of clients – from smartphone OEMs to chipmakers and channel players to Big Tech – through our offices located in the world's major innovation hubs, manufacturing clusters and commercial centers. Our analyst team, led by seasoned experts, engages with stakeholders across the enterprise – from the C-suite to professionals in strategy, analyst relations (AR), market intelligence (MI), business intelligence (BI), product and marketing – to deliver services spanning market data, industry thought leadership and consulting. Our core areas of coverage include AI, Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Displays, eSIM, IoT, Location Platforms, Macroeconomics, Manufacturing, Networks and Infrastructure, Semiconductors, Smartphones and Wearables. Visit our Insights page to explore our publicly available market data, insights and thought leadership, and to understand our focus, meet our analysts and start a conversation.
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Author
Ivan Lam
Ivan is a Senior Research Analyst at Counterpoint Research, based in Hong Kong. He has more than 15 years of experience, with a major focus on mobile and network devices. He has spent years in Southeast Asia markets working in business development, brand management, and channel management. In addition to his expertise in Southeast Asia, he is also well connected with the ODM and OEM sectors. Prior to joining Counterpoint Research, Ivan served at TCL Communication, KaiOS Technologies Inc., and Wiko Mobile, mainly leading business development, go-to-market strategy, and strategic planning. Ivan holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Varun Mishra
Varun is a Principal Analyst at Counterpoint Research based out of Gurgaon. In Counterpoint, he closely tracks mobile devices and ecosystem with a focus on Apple. He started his career as a Consultant with Infosys Limited where he was able to identify strategic avenues for business growth through deep research and analysis of markets and companies in various domains. He holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad and a bachelor's degree from Coventry University, UK.
Jeff Fieldhack
Jeff has 25+ years experience in technology research, business development, competitive intelligence, and business management. Prior to joining Counterpoint Research, Jeff held various research & product development roles at Microsoft, Nokia, Roth Capital Partners, and Gartner. Jeff is a member of many telecom industry organizations including Colorado Wireless Association, repair.org, CommNexus, and is a regular speaker at major telecom industry events. He was a 4x NCAA all-American in tennis and is a 12-time finisher of the Hawaii Ironman World Championships.