The first quarter of every new year is tricky for Apple. The company usually reserves the launch of its new phones for the end of the year, leaving the first quarter open to companies like Samsung to dominate. However, for Q1 2025, Apple took the top spot for the best-selling phones.
iPhone 16 is Q1 2025’s best-selling phone
This is according to the latest figures from Counterpoint Research. Based on their research, the iPhone 16 series was one of the best-selling phones for Q1 2025. In fact, for the first time in a long time, the base iPhone 16 model took the top spot. This was followed by the iPhone 16 Pro Max, representing two extreme ends of Apple’s iPhone lineup. Coming in third place is the iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 15 in fourth.
Interestingly enough, the iPhone 16 Plus came in tenth place, suggesting that the device isn’t as popular as Apple would have liked. Maybe that could be one of the reasons why the Cupertino company is looking to replace this year’s Plus model with the brand new iPhone 17 Air.
While the recently launched iPhone 16e did not make the list of Q1 2025’s best-selling phones, Counterpoint does note that it secured the sixth spot in the global top-10 list for March 2025. We have heard previous reports that the iPhone 16e is one of the main drivers for Apple’s strong Q1 2025 growth.
What about Samsung?
Unfortunately for Samsung, its 2025 flagship phones haven’t really received the same level of reception as last year’s model. The Galaxy S25 Ultra came in seventh place, while its entry-level Galaxy A16 5G took the fifth spot. This is compared to Q1 2024, where the Galaxy S24 Ultra took fifth place and the base Galaxy S24 came in ninth.
We can’t say we’re too surprised. The Galaxy S25 series doesn’t offer a compelling upgrade over its predecessor. It’s by no means a bad phone. However, the lack of meaningful upgrades means customers have fewer reasons to upgrade to it than before. We are curious to see how Samsung’s next quarter figures fare, especially with the launch Galaxy S25 Edge.
