Worldwide smartphone sales grew in 2024 following two consecutive years of decline according to reports from Counterpoint, Canalys, and IDC. The bulk of the growth came from Chinese manufacturers including Xiaomi and Vivo,

Apple and Samsung, the world’s top two smartphone makers, saw their global market shares decline last year, marking the first such drop in eight years since 2016. According to market researcher IDC on Jan.

Global smartphone shipments increased 2.4% year-over-year to 331.7 million units in the fourth quarter of 2024 with Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics (OTCPK:SSNLF) taking the top two spots,

Samsung’s exciting new flagship launch is just a few weeks away, and promises an Android upgrade that’s the closest we’ve seen yet to iPhone, at least from a security and privacy perspective. Android 15 which hit Pixels late last year has already raised the bar, but Samsung will take this further when its One UI 7 is released alongside the S25.

Samsung and Apple still rule the roost when it comes to smartphone sales but one manufacturer appears to be closing the gap.

Samsung is prepared to launch the Galaxy S25 and hopefully more on Jan. 22. Here are the strongest rumors about potential upgrades to its flagship phones.