Global smartphone shipments increased marginally by 1.5 per cent year-on-year to 304.9 million units in the first quarter of 2025, according to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.
This growth was as manufacturers ramped up production in anticipation of the expected announcement by the U.S. Administration on tariffs on Chinese imports, BusinessDay reports.
“Faced with heightened geopolitical uncertainty and the looming threat of substantial U.S. tariff hikes on goods imported from China, vendors strategically accelerated production schedules and pulled forward significant shipment volumes, particularly into the critical US market, during Q1 2025,” said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president, Client Devices, IDC.
“This supply-side surge, aimed at mitigating potential cost increases and disruptions, effectively inflated Q1 shipment figures beyond levels anticipated based on underlying consumer demand trends alone.”
Globally, last quarter saw growth among top smartphone vendors, which may be threatened by current tensions between the U.S. and China.
U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on countries around the world, with products from China hit with 145 per cent, which may soon go up to as high as 245 per cent. This is set to affect the smartphone market, especially vendors like iPhone, which manufactures primarily in China.
However, the recent exemption by the U.S. government pausing smartphone import tariffs from China offers temporary relief for U.S. companies, Ryan Reith, group vice president, worldwide device trackers, IDC, noted.
“Heavy reliance on China’s supply chain persists amid ongoing tariff volatility, making future planning challenging and leaving many companies with important decisions with high levels of uncertainty,” said the VP.
“Right now, the focus for U.S. smartphone brands should be taking advantage of the exemption by building and shipping as much as possible. The other side of this equation is the possibility that economic uncertainty may dampen consumer demand in the coming months,” Reith added.
Among the top vendors, Samsung regained its market leadership in Q1, driven by the continuous success of its Galaxy S25 premium device and the Galaxy A series in the mid-range, particularly the latest Galaxy A36 and A56, offering AI at more affordable prices.
Apple had the best Q1 ever in terms of units shipped as it stockpiled to avoid the U.S. tariffs. Xiaomi’s Q1 performance was mainly driven by its growth in China because of subsidies from the Chinese government, which positively impacted the sales of its mid-range products.
OPPO regained its 4th position despite the decline in shipments driven by a weaker performance in the international markets, which was not offset by the growth in China.
