In a nutshell: US smartphone sales during the fourth quarter of 2025 were stagnant, with growth increasing just 1%. But that didn't stop Apple from achieving its best sales quarter to date and grabbing its highest-ever share of the US market.
The US smartphone market was dragged down in Q4 due to the sub-$300 segment declining 7%, writes Counterpoint Research.
Apple, in contrast, pushed its share of the market up from 65% during the same period last year to an all-time high of 69%. Rival Samsung, meanwhile, saw its share decline from 18% in Q4 2024 to 13% in Q4 2025.
The analyst firm also has Apple ahead of Samsung when it comes to global smartphone sell-in market share for the whole of 2025, but only by a single percentage point.
Counterpoint puts Apple's US growth down to iPhone 16e and 17 sales in the mid-range and premium segments, as well as promotional activities at the three biggest US carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon). It's noted that the iPhone 17 Pro Max was the top seller in all three channels, while the iPhone 16e recorded its highest sales month to date in December.
Senior research analyst Maurice Klaehner said premium devices were generally the major driving force behind Q4 sales due to heavy emphasis on postpaid deals, many of which were targeted toward iPhone and iOS device bundles.
However, the biggest YoY growth came from the mid-range price band ($300-$600), which saw sales grow 27% YoY, Klaehner added. This has helped Apple and Google gain higher shares in this segment with the iPhone 16e and Pixel 9a.
Counterpoint writes that the continuing memory crisis is going to impact the already struggling sub-$300 smartphone segment. The Bill of Materials (BOM) will likely increase by 15% or more in the next two quarters for many OEMs, and memory price hikes will have the biggest impact on low-end devices.
Apple has had plenty of positive news recently. Cupertino's phone business set an all-time record during the fiscal 2026 first quarter with $85.27 billion in sales. It was also revealed that iPhone models made up seven of the top 10 best-selling phones across all of 2025.
