Google Pixel grew by 25% in 2025’s global smartphone market as Apple takes top spot

Ben Schoon | Jan 12 2026 - 10:35 am PT

Google’s Pixel smartphones will probably never compete with the likes of Apple or Samsung on the global smartphone stage, but the growth remains, as Google Pixel reportedly grew by 25% in 2025.

Counterpoint reports that Google Pixel grew by 25% year-over-year in 2025. That’s on the global market where Pixel makes up an even smaller slice of the pie compared to in specific regions such as North America and Japan. The report also brings out that Nothing saw solid growth in 2025, with a 31% year-over-year improvement.

That’s as both brands still fall into “Others” on the chart below, a section which actually shrunk in 2025.

Meanwhile, Apple solidified itself as the world’s biggest smartphone brand in 2025, with 10% growth and 20% of the overall market, beating out Samsung’s 19%. Counterpoint attributes Apple’s 2025 growth to “significant traction in Q4” from the iPhone 17 series, as well as iPhone 16 series popularity in Japan, India, and Southeast Asia, all of which are typically regions where Android phones dominate the market.

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Xiaomi was steady year-over-year, retaining a third-place position, while Vivo grew by 3% in fourth place. Oppo, though, ended up shrinking by 4% and rounds out the top five.

The report then cites Counterpoint’s Tarun Pathak, who says that the 2026 smartphone market will “soften” amid rising component costs and DRAM shortages, with the effects likely to be felt most by Chinese OEMs. Pathak explains:

The global smartphone market is set to soften in 2026 amid DRAM/NAND shortages and rising component costs, as chipmakers prioritize AI data centers over smartphones. Price hikes in smartphones have already begun to surface. Against this backdrop, we have revised our forecast for 2026 by reducing shipment estimates by 3%. Though the supply crunch will weigh on shipments, Apple and Samsung are likely to remain resilient, supported by stronger supply chain capabilities and premium market positioning, whereas Chinese OEMs concentrated in lower‑price segments will face greater pressure.