In 2022, smartphone vendors sold around 1.39 billion smartphones were sold worldwide, with this number forecast to drop to 1.34 billion in 2023.

Smartphone penetration rate still on the rise

Less than half of the world’s total population owned a smart device in 2016, but the smartphone penetration rate has continued climbing, reaching 78.05 percent in 2020. By 2025, it is forecast that almost 87 percent of all mobile users in the United States will own a smartphone, an increase from the 27 percent of mobile users in 2010.

Smartphone end user sales

In the United States alone, sales of smartphones were projected to be worth around 73 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, an increase from 18 billion dollars in 2010. Global sales of smartphones are expected to increase from 2020 to 2021 in every major region, as the market starts to recover from the initial impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In 2020, more smartphones were sold in Greater China than any other region in the world at over 368 million units. The annual global smartphone sales plateaued at around 1.5 billion units in the previous years, but dropped in 2020 to 1.38 billion units, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Before 2020, only China and other emerging countries in Asia were still showing growth. The potential for growth in China is reflected in the country's smartphone penetration rate, as currently, only around half of the population is using a smartphone.

Americas and Europe stagnating
Sales in the Americas region and Europe are predicted to decrease compared to pre-pandemic sales, with the largest drop in smartphone sales in 2021 predicted for North America, where smartphone sales are expected to decrease by around 8 million units in 2021 compared to 2019.

Africa and Middle East with modest growth

In contrast to the decreasing markets in Europa and the Americas, smartphone sales are expected to increase in Sub-Saharan countries and North Africa as well as the Middle East from 2019 to 2021. Shipments to the Middle East and Africa have been steadily growing since 2013. Drivers for the growth in these markets are the still low smartphone penetration and the average selling price for smartphones that is only half of the average price in North America.

This statistic shows global smartphone sales to end users broken down by operating system from the 2009 to 2018. In the second quarter of 2018, Apple sold ***** million smartphones with their iOS.

Smartphone sales by operating system -- additional information

Smartphone sales have strongly increased over the last few years. In 2009, the number of smartphones sold worldwide added up to *** million. By 2015, this figure stood at more than *** billion, generating almost 400 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. The market shows no sign of slowing down, as over a third of the world’s population is projected to own a smartphone by 2017, and the number of smartphone users is forecast to pass the *** billion mark for the first time by 2019.

Android, introduced to the consumer market in 2007, has been the leading operating system since early 2011, after taking over the top position from Symbian OS. The number of Android smartphones sold increased from about *** million units in 2011 to around *** billion in 2015, while Symbian’s sales declined to about ** million units in 2012, and later on was discontinued. Android’s market share jumped from *** percent in early 2009 to nearly ** percent by the end of 2016. Much of this growth can be attributed to the fact that many smartphone manufacturers, such as Sony, Samsung and HTC, have all built phones designed specifically for the Android system.

Along with the fall of Symbian and the increasing popularity of Android, RIM, which was the second biggest operating system at one point, saw its sales market share drop from about ** percent in the beginning of 2009 to less than *** percent four years later. Sales of RIM smartphones declined from around ** million in 2011 to just over **** million in 2015. Meanwhile, Apple’s iOS rose as the second most popular operating system in the world, accounting for around ** to ** percent of the market in the last few years. In 2015, Apple sold about *** million iPhones which run on the iOS operating system. Microsoft’s operating system is the third most popular operating system in the world, as the company sold around ** million Windows Phone smartphones in 2015.

The forecast released in January 2022 anticipated a 1.7 billion U.S. dollar increase in the sales value of smartphones sold in the United States, for a total of 74.7 billion U.S. dollars in sales.

Apple and Samsung lead U.S. smartphone market    

Apple and Samsung are the leading smartphone vendors in the United States with a combined sales market share of close to 70 percent. Both companies have witnessed increasing market shares in recent years, although Samsung’s market share decreased in 2019. Together, the leading smartphone brands are used by around 75 percent of smartphone users in the United States.

Higher smartphone usage in urban areas and high-income groups    

Smartphone penetration in the United States varies according to location. Compared to rural areas, smartphone usage in urban and suburban areas is higher by over ten percent (195003). Smartphone penetration also correlates with income as higher income groups have larger smartphone penetration rates . Overall, the trend over the past years seems to be that the growth in penetration is somewhat the same over the different groups but that the adoption level of smartphones was initially higher with urban groups and higher income groups when smartphones first hit the market. This could be as a result of the high initial price of smartphones- only people with higher incomes could afford them, and the higher demand for network coverage in urban areas due to there being more smartphone users.

In the third quarter of 2024, Samsung took the top position among smartphone vendors by shipments, accounting for 19 percent of the market share, followed by Apple with 18 percent. Xiaomi came in third with 14 percent of smartphone shipments worldwide.

The statistic shows the smartphone sales share by online channel in the United States from the first quarter of 2018 to the fourth quarter of 2018. In the second quarter of 2018, Amazon.com had a ** percent share of global smartphone sales in the second quarter of 2018. Online sales made up about ** percent of total smartphone sales in the United States.

The graph shows the mobile phone sales volume in China from 2011 to 2013, with a forecast to 2018. In 2012, *** million mobile phones were sold in China.

Manufacturers’ market share of smartphone sales in the United States is led by Apple and Samsung, with a market share of ** percent and ** percent, respectively, as of the second quarter of 2024. Next to Apple and Samsung are Lenovo and HMD, with respective market shares of ** and one percent.  Global smartphone market While Apple continues to lead the U.S. smartphone market, it has traditionally lagged behind on the global scale. Samsung has been the leading smartphone vendor worldwide since 2012. However, Samsung’s lead in terms of market share has started to dwindle in recent years, meaning that Apple and other Chinese competitors, such as Xiaomi, vivo, and Huawei, have seen a boost in the smartphone industry. Apple’s traction on the global scale in 2020 comes from its move towards 5G-enabled smartphones, which have doubled sales one year, from 2020 to 2021, alone. Apple is currently the leading vendor in terms of global 5G smartphone shipments. The introduction of 5G throughout the world brings with it the possibility to upheave the smartphone market as we know it. Are U.S. consumers satisfied with Apple and Samsung phones? Apple and Samsung not only lead the smartphone market in the United States in terms of usage, but also in terms of customer satisfaction. The highest ranked smartphone models on the American customer satisfaction index are nearly all Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone models. Furthermore, it appears that U.S. smartphone users are unlikely to change their primarily used smartphone brand anytime soon.

This statistic illustrates the sales volume share of major smartphones in Japan in 2018, ranked by smartphone model. That year, the Apple iPhone 8 accounted with approximately ** percent for the largest share of smartphone sales in Japan. The iPhone X ranked second with a sales volume share of about *** percent.

The revenue in the smartphones market in Hong Kong was forecast to continuously increase between 2025 and 2029 by in total **** billion U.S. dollars, which was an increase of over two percent. After the fifth consecutive increasing year, the revenue is estimated to reach **** billion U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2029.

Apple held the largest slice of the global smartphone market by shipments during the fourth quarter of 2024, followed by Samsung. Xiaomi has taken a tight grip on the third position, accounting for a market share of ** percent in the fourth quarter of 2024. Samsung and Apple smartphone sales Smartphone vendors have been suffering from the events of the past couple of years, including the pandemic and the economic downturn. However, they all appear to be recovering, as shown by the recent increase in shipments. For instance, mostly based on the main line of Galaxy Series, Samsung's smartphone shipments totaled nearly ***** million units globally in 2024. Next to Samsung, Apple is a major manufacturer of smartphones worldwide, with the company shipping more than *** million iPhones worldwide in 2024. Apple’s sales tend to be very cyclical, peaking in the fourth quarter each year, much like in the fourth quarter of 2023, when they took the first spot in terms of units shipped globally with around **** units. Xiaomi in the lead While Apple and Samsung are typically the two major companies challenging for the top spot, Huawei had provided a strong challenge in recent years. Particularly, the Chinese company managed to climb the smartphone market ladder between 2011 and 2024, recording shipments of over ** million smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2024. However, strong performances from rivals like Xiaomi and the effects of the U.S. trade ban have since seen Huawei fall outside the list of top five vendors by smartphone shipments.

The statistic shows the total smartphone sales value from the second quarter of 2014 to the first quarter of 2018, broken down by geographical region. In the fourth quarter of 2017, smartphones with a value of **** billion U.S. dollars were sold in Latin America.

Apple's iOS continues to hold the largest share of the smartphone operating systems market in the United States, claiming more than **** of the market in 2024. Apple's share of the U.S. market has remained stable since 2018, when it accounted for around ** percent. This is reflected in all markets, with Apple's global share remaining stable year-on-year. Apple growing at home Under CEO Tim Cook, Apple has continued to follow a stunning growth trajectory. Apple became the first U.S. company with a market capitalization exceeding two trillion dollars, just two years on from becoming the first trillion-dollar company. The iPhone, responsible for much of the company’s growth, has cemented its status as the smartphone of choice for many Americans during recent quarters. Google's Android operating system is a close competitor in the U.S. OS market, accounting for around ** percent of the market as of **********. However, Apple commands a far wider lead in the U.S. smartphone manufacturer market, with the Android user base split between various vendors such as Samsung and Motorola. Apple’s popularity across markets Apple has seen success with the iPhone in developed markets across the globe. iPhones accounted for **** of the **** most-sold handsets in the United Kingdom as of ************, and four of the leading five in Germany. Yet, the high price of Apple devices puts Apple at a disadvantage outside of wealthier markets. In Africa, iOS accounted for around ** percent of the mobile OS market in *************, while Android dominated with an ** percent share.

The statistic shows smartphone unit sales market share by model worldwide in May 2018. During that time the Apple iPhone 8 accounted for *** percent of global smartphone sales.

In the second quarter of 2023, Samsung's share of the global smartphone production amounted to almost ** percent. Apple ranked second, holding over ** percent of the smartphone production market. Xiaomi and Oppo had similar shares.

In 2018, mobile phone sales generated 10.06 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in Mexico. In 2019, 89 percent of mobile phone users in Mexico used smartphones and the estimated number of smartphone users stood at 75.4 million.

The number of smartphone users in the United States was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 17.4 million users (+5.61 percent). After the fifteenth consecutive increasing year, the smartphone user base is estimated to reach 327.54 million users and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the number of smartphone users of was continuously increasing over the past years.Smartphone users here are limited to internet users of any age using a smartphone. The shown figures have been derived from survey data that has been processed to estimate missing demographics.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the number of smartphone users in countries like Mexico and Canada.

The statistic shows the value of smartphone sales in the Asia Pacific region from 2013 to 2018. In that year, the revenue from smartphone sales in the region amounted to approximately 254 billion U.S. dollars.

The graph shows the growth rate of mobile phone sales volume in China from 2011 to 2013, with a forecast to 2018. In 2012, mobile phone sales in China grew by 11.5 percent.

In 2018, mid-tier smartphones were the highest selling price category worldwide. Out of more than 1.55 billion smartphones sold, nearly 520 million were mid-tier smartphones, surpassing the low-end category for the first time. As overall smartphone sales have been plateauing worldwide, the expansion of mid-tier and high-end devices contributes to the continual growth in global revenue from smartphone sales each year, reaching over 500 billion USD in 2018.

Smartphone price categories  As the market shifts away from low-end smartphones, the average global selling price has now surpassed 300 U.S. dollars. Though a high price is not always the only indicator of a top-tier device, the high-end category consistently includes high-spec, well-known models such as the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy models. In contrast, the mid-tier category differs more by region, as a low-end phone in North America and Western Europe, for instance, might be considered mid-range in emerging economies with lower smartphone penetration.