Global smartphone shipments grew 2.6% in the third quarter this year, fuelled by strong consumer demand for premium and AI-enabled devices, according to preliminary data from International Data Corp.
Demand for smartphones has been resilient despite economic uncertainty and tariff challenges, boosted by premium features, favourable pricing models and promotional trade-in deals that make the upgrading decision a “no-brainer” for most customers.
“The smartphone industry continues its upward trajectory, posting solid growth — a remarkable achievement given persistent economic uncertainty and tumultuous tariff dynamics,” said Nabila Popal, senior research director for worldwide client devices at IDC.
“Demand for Apple’s new iPhone 17 line-up was robust, with pre-orders surpassing those of the previous generation. At the same time, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7 outperformed all earlier foldable models, creating renewed momentum for the foldables segment,” said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president for client devices at IDC.
Third-quarter shipments rose to 322.7 million units, with Apple delivering its best results ever in a three-month period ended September and Samsung achieving its strongest September-quarter growth on record, IDC said.
Samsung maintained its top spot with 61.4 million units shipped in the quarter, while Apple saw nearly 3% growth in shipments with 58.6 million.
Read: iPhone 17 price surprise in South Africa
IDC said it maintains a positive outlook for the rest of 2025, projecting strong year-end sales driven by aggressive promotions, expanding AI capabilities and ongoing device innovation. — Harshita Mary Varghese, (c) 2025 Reuters
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