The best selling mobile phones are iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones, with little room for anyone else. Counterpoint’s 2025 ranking put the iPhone 16 first, and Apple and Samsung held all ten spots for the fourth year running. In Q2 2026 they again held all ten, with the iPhone 17 on top at 6% of global unit sales. This article is based on published analyst data, not hands-on testing. The limit is that rankings vary by tracker, region, and quarter, so no list applies everywhere.macrumors+1
Which mobile phones are the best selling worldwide?
The iPhone 16 was the best selling phones of 2025, and in Q2 2026 the iPhone 17 took first place. Counterpoint’s 2025 list ran as follows: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, Galaxy A16 5G, Galaxy A06, iPhone 17, iPhone 15, Galaxy S25 Ultra, and iPhone 16e. Apple held seven places and Samsung three. Together, those ten models made up 19% of all smartphone sales.macrumors+1
The Galaxy A16 5G was the best-selling Android phone of 2025. One source lists the A06 as 5G and two others as 4G, so the exact variant is unconfirmed.
Q2 2026 looked different at the lower ranks. The iPhone 17 led with 6% of global sales, followed by the iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro. The Galaxy S26 Ultra was fourth, the Galaxy A07 4G fifth, and the Galaxy A17 5G sixth. The iPhone 17e was seventh, the Galaxy A17 4G eighth, the Galaxy S26 ninth, and the iPhone 16 tenth. Those ten phones made up 26% of overall sales, two points more than a year earlier.
A year earlier, Xiaomi’s Redmi 14C briefly broke Apple–Samsung’s hold on the top ten, taking eighth place in Q2 2025. One quarter without a non-Apple, non-Samsung phone doesn’t mean the field is closed forever.
Which brands sell the most phones?
Apple and Samsung trade the top brand spot, depending on the year and the measure. Counterpoint put Apple at 20% of global shipments in 2025, ahead of Samsung at 19%. In Q3 2026, Counterpoint has Samsung at 23% and Apple at 22%, with Apple passing 20% in a third quarter for the first time. Samsung’s share rose from 19% a year earlier, helped by early demand for the Galaxy Z Fold8.
The market itself is shrinking. Counterpoint says Q3 2026 shipments were the lowest third-quarter level in 14 years, amid a memory shortage. IDC forecasts a 16.7% fall in global shipments for 2026, with Android down 24.3%, because the most exposed vendors are pulling out of the cheapest tiers. Fewer cheap Android phones could push the best-selling mobile phone lists even more toward premium iPhones and Galaxy S models.
Chinese brands rank third to fifth globally. A Q3 2026 summary lists Xiaomi at 10%, OPPO at 9%, and vivo at 8%. They barely feature in US sales, so a global ranking should never describe the US market.
What are the best selling mobile phones in the US?
In the US, Apple leads by a wide margin, and Samsung takes most of what remains. In Q2 2026, three iPhone 17 models held the top three positions, and two Samsung phones made the top five. Apple’s lead is large in both US sales and shipments.
The US market itself is under pressure. Counterpoint reports that US smartphone sales fell 5% year over year in Q2 2026, with the low end hit hardest. 9to5Mac’s summary attributes that to rising memory costs hitting cheaper phones most. In Q1 2026, Apple’s US sales rose 1.3% while the broader US market fell 5.7% in Q2 2026, so none are quoted here. For precise US shares, check Counterpoint’s US Smartphone Channel Share Tracker release directly.
How should buyers use best selling mobile phones lists?
A best-seller list shows what is widely supported, easy to resell, and well-stocked. It doesn’t show what is best for a given budget. A Galaxy A-series phone and an iPhone 17 Pro Max sit on the same list while serving very different buyers.
- Several checks make a list usable:
- Match the region, since global and US rankings differ.
- Check the quarter, because annual lists favour phones with a full year on sale.
- Separate shipments from sales, as they count different things.
- Name the tracker, since Counterpoint and IDC revise figures and use different methods.
- Treat late-year launches carefully. The iPhone 17 Pro Max reached fourth place in the 2025 ranking.
- Where this leaves buyers
Apple’s iPhone 17 and 16 families lead the best-selling mobile phones at the premium end, while Samsung’s Galaxy A-series leads at the budget end, with the market contracting around them. The priority action is to match the list to the region and period before drawing conclusions. The trade-off is popularity versus fit: top sellers are the safest picks for support and resale, but not always the best match for a specific budget or feature. Memory costs may shift the mix further through the rest of 2026.