Apple’s historic smartphone sales performance in the US in quarter four (Q4) of 2025, which saw the brand growing its market share to 69%, was not enough to offset broader weakness across the Android segment, according to Counterpoint’s Monthly US Channel Share Smartphone Tracker.
The research group ays US smartphone sales were up 1% (year-over-year) YoY in Q4 2025, despite strong carrier promotions in the quarter and improvements in upgrade rates compared to 2024. The sub-$300 segment dragged the overall market down as it declined 7% YoY.
Apple grew its share of the market to 69% in Q4 2025, its highest ever and up from 65% a year ago, at the expense of Samsung, which saw its share decline to 13%, down from 18% at the same time last year.
Apple’s growth was driven by its latest iPhone 16e and 17 devices in the mid-range and premium segments, as the brand was the key beneficiary of elevated promotional activities at the three biggest US carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon). AT&T had its highest share of Apple sales to date at 89%, while T-Mobile and Verizon both saw Apple share increases compared to Q4 2024. The iPhone 17 Pro Max was the top seller in all three channels.
According to the Counterpoint tracker, Apple was able to tighten its grip on different consumer segments in Q4. The iPhone 16e, in particular, remained popular with buyers in the prepaid and national retail channels, recording its highest sales month to date in December. Churn remains elevated in the US market, a trend witnessed throughout the year, opening the door for Apple to attract buyers across channels and price points.
Commenting on the market’s price band dynamics, Senior Research Analyst Maurice Klaehne had this to say: “Premium devices are generally the major driving factor of sales in Q4 due to the heavy emphasis on postpaid deals. Apple was able to benefit from these deals, as many offers were targeted toward iPhone and iOS device bundles. However, this year the biggest YoY growth came from the mid-range price band ($300-$600), which grew 27% YoY. While it is still a relatively minor segment of the overall market, this growth shows that consumers are opting for more budget-friendly devices due to current macroeconomic conditions. This has helped Apple and Google gain higher shares in this segment with their iPhone 16e and Pixel 9a devices, respectively. Samsung and Motorola, on the other hand, lost share in the segment due to the increased competition.”
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