Despite a flat US smartphone market, Apple surged to a record market share of 69%, widening its lead over Samsung, driven by strong mid-range and premium sales.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, Apple achieved a new milestone, securing its highest-ever share of the US smartphone market despite overall market stagnation. While sales across the US smartphone market grew by only 1%, Apple saw a significant increase in its market share, reaching 69%, up from 65% in the same period last year.
The growth came amid a 7% decline in the sub-$300 smartphone segment. Apple capitalised on this, expanding its presence particularly in the mid-range and premium markets. In contrast, its main rival, Samsung, saw its US share drop from 18% in Q4 2024 to 13% by the end of 2025.
A Counterpoint Research report attributes Apple’s success to strong sales of the iPhone 16e and 17, particularly in the mid-range ($300-$600) and premium segments. The iPhone 17 Pro Max was the top-selling model across the three major US carriers: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. December also marked the iPhone 16e’s best sales month to date.
Premium devices played a major role in Apple’s Q4 performance, driven by bundled postpaid deals targeted at iPhone users. However, the most notable growth came from the mid-range price band, which saw a 27% year-on-year increase in sales.
“Premium devices are generally the major driving factor of sales in Q4 due to the heavy emphasis on postpaid deals. Apple was able to benefit from these deals, as many offers were targeted toward iPhone and iOS device bundles,” said Senior Research Analyst Maurice Klaehne at Counterpoint Research.
This trend has helped Apple and Google increase their shares in this segment, with the iPhone 16e and Google’s Pixel 9a leading the charge.
The US smartphone market faces challenges, with the ongoing memory crisis impacting low-cost devices. Counterpoint predicts that rising memory prices could increase production costs by 15% or more in the coming months, further squeezing the sub-$300 segment.
Apple’s strong performance has been consistent, with the company reporting record sales of $85.27 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, and seven of the top 10 best-selling smartphones of 2025 being iPhone models.
