Apple set to surpass Samsung in global phone shipments

Counterpoint Research predicts that Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup will help the company overtake Samsung as the world’s largest phone maker this year, CNBC and Bloomberg report, according to The Verge.

The report estimates that Apple will ship 243 million phones this year, while Samsung will ship 235 million, giving Apple 19.4 percent of the global smartphone market—less than 1 percent ahead of Samsung, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

Counterpoint says the newly launched iPhone 17 series has achieved 12 percent higher sales in its first four weeks compared to the iPhone 16 lineup, with sales boosted by a “lower-than-expected” impact from tariffs.

Different analysts have reported varying statistics about the shipment leader in recent years, but according to Counterpoint’s estimate, this will be the first time in 14 years that Apple surpasses Samsung in phone shipments. Based on the report, it appears that concerns about weak demand for the iPhone Air and ongoing questions about Apple’s progress in artificial intelligence technology have not hindered the overall performance of the iPhone 17 lineup.

Next year, Apple is expected to release a cheaper “17e” model in the spring and, later, its first foldable iPhone.