Counterpoint Research: iPhone 16 Leads Global Smartphone Sales in Q1 2025

Apple’s iPhone 16 was the best-selling smartphone in Q1 2025. This also marked the return of the iPhone series’ base variant to the top spot in the first quarter after a two-year gap.

After several years of the Pro Max iPhone being the most popular single phone in the world, the normal iPhone is back on top. Looking at the overall numbers tells another interesting story, though. Even though the normal iPhone is marginally back on top, the Pro line is much more popular on the whole. There's really something about that 4th main iPhone model that never seems to hit with people, whether that phone is bigger and more expensive or smaller and less expensive.

Also notable:

Apple’s iPhone 16e made a strong debut, securing the sixth spot in the global top-10 list for March 2025, its first full month of sales. Despite a higher price compared to the SE 2022, the 16e is expected to outperform its predecessor during its first year. This success will be largely driven by its significant technological advancements and expanded feature set.

Not to toot my own horn too much, but here's a quote from my review back in March:

I know there are some questions about whether this phone will appeal to current SE owners with the higher price tag, and I don't know the answer to that, but I do think that this phone could appeal to many people who currently buy the normal iPhone every couple of years. It's still clearly the "lesser" iPhone in the lineup, but I think it's closer to the main iPhones than any SE has ever been.

There was a lot of "who is this phone even for?" discourse when the 16e was announced, but I think the 16e is underrated, so it's nice to see the sales seen to reflect that as well.