One man’s company’s loss is another man’s company’s gain. Samsung might just be the one to benefit. With the iPhone 16 series showing signs of weakness and the Galaxy S25 series coming in hot with One UI 7.0, Samsung has a chance to capitalize. In a matter of few days, Samsung will pull the wraps off the Galaxy S25 Ultra, S25+, and S25 at Unpacked. If it can play its cards right, the upcoming year could see Samsung rising while Apple stumbles.
Samsung may have a solid opportunity to capitalize on declining Apple’s iPhone sales
According to a November 2024 report from Hana Securities (via @Jukanlosreve), the iPhone 16 series only managed to sell 37.18 million units in its first three months. That’s a 3% drop compared to the iPhone 15 series during the same period. Not great, how popular iPhones really are, in general.
So, what gives? It’s hard to ignore that the iPhone 16 series shipped with a half-baked iOS 18, which promised AI-driven features. But, well, didn’t quite deliver. The buttery AI features didn’t arrive until iOS 18.1, a good month and a half later. It’s safe to say that Apple’s ambitions got ahead of itself, and consumers may have been less than thrilled. The iPhone 16’s early sales drop could be seen as a reflection of this lag, and it’s a gift-wrapped opportunity for Samsung.
The right timing?
Enter the Galaxy S25 series. With One UI 7.0/7.1 arriving Samsung could ride the wave of Apple’s struggles with some serious hardware and software smarts. One UI 7.0 will likely be a big selling point.
And while Apple has had its delays, One UI 7.0 might just give the Galaxy S25 an edge over the iPhone, which will be running a more half-baked system at launch. Samsung has a golden opportunity here to grab the spotlight, especially with Apple taking a little hit.
As of Q3 2024, Samsung holds 19% of the global smartphone market share, while Apple is not far behind with 17%. It’s no secret that these two behemoths are locked in a tight race. But the real battle is coming from the other side of the world. The bigger portion of the market is dominated by China-based phone makers, according to Counterpoint Research.
