Despite its age and stiff competition from Android flagships, the iPhone 16 was the best-selling smartphone in the world in Q3 2025. More impressively, the Counterpoint Research report indicates iPhones bagged the top four slots.
Even the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which launched towards the end of the quarter, made it to the list.
iPhone 16 overcomes demand fears to rule the chart
Apple has seen strong demand for the iPhone 17 lineup. Thanks to the renewed consumer interest, it’s on track for a bumper holiday quarter. And it will supposedly even surpass Samsung as the world’s biggest smartphone maker this year.
Before the iPhone 17 arrived, reports suggested lukewarm demand for the iPhone 16. Sales in China, in particular, were a concern, falling sharply. Despite all this, Counterpoint Research data points to the iPhone 16 being the world’s best-selling smartphone globally in Q3 2025.
In terms of volume, the phone had a 4% share. It was also the third consecutive quarter of the iPhone 16 being at the top.
Photo: Counterpoint Research
The iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 16e took the second, third and fourth slots, respectively.
Robust festive sales in India helped
Typically, iPhone sales slow down in the third quarter in anticipation of the new models. However, the report says festive promotions in India and a sustained recovery in demand in Japan helped restrict the seasonal sales decline.
In other markets, like the US, UK and China, the iPhone 16 Pro saw a steeper decline.
For Apple, that’s an improvement — in Q3 2024, the iPhone 15 lineup secured the top three slots. Even more impressive is that the data points to the iPhone 17 Pro Max being the best-selling phone in September 2025. That helped it secure the tenth position, despite a late launch.
Samsung was the only other manufacturer to make it to the list. Its mid-range Galaxy phones took the fifth to ninth positions. The Galaxy A16 5G was the highest-selling Android phone in the quarter, followed by the A06, A36 and A56.
Rajesh has been closely following and writing about the latest happenings in the world of mobile for nearly a decade now. While he prefers Android, he does not deny the superiority of Apple’s products and ecosystem.