The latest data from market research firm CounterPoint Research shows that global smartphone sales grew 5% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2025, with the operating system landscape undergoing new changes. Google's Android maintained its leading position with a 79% share, but its share was the lowest ever for a second quarter, primarily due to intensified competition in the Chinese market and the trend toward premiumization in India. Apple's iOS share rebounded to 17%, up 1 percentage point from the previous quarter, with strong performance in emerging markets such as India, the Middle East, and Brazil, while maintaining robust growth in its core markets of China and the United States.
Huawei's HarmonyOS maintained a stable global share of 4%, but continued to break through in the Chinese market, surpassing iOS (16%) with a 17% share for the sixth consecutive quarter, securing second place. The strong sales of Huawei's Nova series and Pura X foldable phone were a key driver of this growth, with the Pura X receiving high praise for its innovative design. Notably, Android's share in the Chinese market fell from 64% to 66% in the fourth quarter of 2023, while HarmonyOS's share increased from 16% to 17% during the same period, demonstrating the growing competitiveness of domestic operating systems.
Looking at the long-term trend, Android's share will gradually decline after reaching a peak of 80% in the third quarter of 2024, while iOS will rebound from a low of 16% in the second quarter of 2024. HarmonyOS's global share will remain in the 3%-5% range. CounterPoint analysis indicates that fierce competition in the Chinese market and India's high-endization efforts are reshaping the global operating system landscape, and HarmonyOS's continued growth is injecting new variables into the market.
