iPhone 16 tops the world in sales for Q1 2025 – but budget phones are rising fast

A new report by Counterpoint Research shows the world's top 10 bestselling smartphones in the first quarter of 2025. And guess who won? The iPhone 16. The base model from the lineup is returning to this spot after a two-year gap. 


The top 10 smartphones' share in the overall global sales remains stable. However, lower-end phones (cheaper than $100) have increased their contribution. 

The iPhone 16 did well in Japan and managed to record the highest growth in base variant sales. Improved economic conditions in the country matched Apple's pricing strategy and strengthened the iPhone's appeal in the Japanese market. The phone also did quite well in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. 


In China, the Pro models faced challenges from other premium brands like Huawei. However, the Pro iPhones still account for nearly half of Apple's total iPhone sales for the third consecutive quarter. 

Apple also introduced the modern-looking midranger in this quarter, the iPhone 16e. The phone managed to score the sixth sport in the top-10 list for March 2025, which is its first full month of being available for sale. 

The report estimates that the iPhone 16e will outperform the iPhone SE 2022 (which is its predecessor, more or less). The success is reported to be due to technological advancements and a wider feature set. But it could also be the new design that's no longer stuck in 2018, if I may add. 


Nevertheless, the Galaxy S25 series delivered steady results and contributed to one-fourth of Samsung's total smartphone sales in the active sales month. The report also highlights the deeper Gemini integration in the series which enhances user productivity and personalization. 

Fifth place is claimed by the Galaxy A16 5G. It moved one spot up from the A15 in Q1 2024. A great 17% year-on-year growth is reported for this model, and this could primarily be due to the wider availability of the model in North America (it launched in January 2025). In fact, North America was the largest market for the Galaxy A16 and ensured one-third of its global smartphone sales. 


The Xiaomi Redmi 14C 4G is the only phone that's not made by Samsung or Apple to make the top-10 list globally. An impressive 43% YoY growth over the previous model (the Redmi 13C 4G) makes this win even sweeter.  Most of its sales come from emerging markets, which shows Xiaomi's strength when it comes to people seeking value for less money. 

Counterpoint Research expects the top 10 bestselling models list to remain relatively stable despite tariff tensions and market uncertainty. 

It's cool to see the iPhone 16 making a strong comeback – seems like Apple knows how to keep things fresh and exciting. I also like how cheaper phones are growing in popularity too, showing that there's something good out there for every budget.