A new report from Canalys reveals a major milestone in the mobile industry: AI-capable smartphones are set to reach an impressive 34% global penetration by 2025. Thanks to leaner on-device AI models and more powerful chipsets, mid-range smartphones are now embracing artificial intelligence — and the market is responding. Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo now dominate the AI phone landscape.
📊 Q1 2025 Market Share Snapshot
During the first quarter of 2025, Apple took a commanding lead in AI smartphone shipments, delivering 43.6 million devices, or about 58% market share. Samsung followed with 17 million units (23%), while Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo trailed with 8%, 5%, and 3% respectively.
This dominance highlights that, while multiple brands offer AI-ready devices, Apple and Samsung still shape the market's upper echelon.
🏆 Top-Selling Models Worldwide
Apple's market power is reinforced by model-level dominance: five Apple devices ranked in the global top 10 AI smartphones, with the top three spots all occupied by Apple models. Samsung held strong with four entries, led by its Galaxy S25 Ultra. Notably, the only non-Apple/Samsung model to crack the top 10 was Redmi’s K80 5G, which landed at ninth place.
🇨🇳 China Market: A Different Story
Even in Apple’s home-territory-sized market — China — it remained the leader, though with less margin. Xiaomi secured second place, while OPPO, vivo, and Honor rounded out the top five. In model rankings, Apple placed four devices in China’s top 10, claiming the top two positions. Xiaomi achieved three entries, OPPO two, and vivo (including iQOO) one.
🔍 Why AI Phones Are Accelerating
Canalys attributes this surge to two key factors:
- Smaller, efficient AI models running on-device – enabling features like smart photos, predictive typing, and voice assistants without excessive processing power.
- Chipset upgrades – new mobile SoCs now integrate powerful AI accelerators, boosting AI performance even below the premium price levels.
Analysts expect these trends to continue fueling AI phone adoption through 2026.
📈 Broader Smartphone Market Context
It’s part of a larger shift: overall smartphone shipments grew only slightly — around 0–1% year-over-year in Q1 2025 — yet AI-capable devices are rapidly taking share. This divergence suggests that while the general market slows, consumers are shifting toward smarter, AI-enhanced devices.
📌 Final Takeaways
- AI is the new battlefield: Beyond specs, AI features are now a key selling point across brands and price tiers.
- Apple’s stronghold: With 58% market share and multiple flagship models in top rankings, Apple remains the AI phone leader.
- Emerging competition: Samsung stays close behind, and Chinese brands like Xiaomi are gaining traction — especially in domestic markets.
- Mid-range momentum: Expect more AI-capable phones in the $300–600 segment as chip efficiency improves.
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