April 14 (Reuters) - Apple ( AAPL ) took the top spot for global smartphone sales in the first quarter on the back of the iPhone 16e's launch and strong demand in countries such as Japan and India, data from Counterpoint Research showed on Monday.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Counterpoint expects the smartphone market to decline this year, due to economic uncertainty and tariffs imposed by U.S. president Donald Trump.

Trump's back-and-forth tariffs and escalation of global trade tensions has resulted in a worsening economic outlook and the possibility of stronger inflation.

A volatile macroeconomic environment can cause consumers to postpone the purchase of mobile phones, unsettling the supply chain and increasing trade risks which can negatively impact the market, the report said.

KEY QUOTE

"As per our current estimates, the tariff announcement did not lead to a major demand increase because of the uncertainty around tariffs and policy. Since Tariffs were announced in April, it did not impact iPhone demand in Q1 2025," said Ankit Malhotra, senior research analyst at Counterpoint.

BY THE NUMBERS

The global smartphone market grew 3% in the first quarter of 2025, but Counterpoint expects the overall market to decline this year.

Samsung followed Apple ( AAPL ) with 18% market share. Xiaomi ( XIACF ) also continued its sales momentum while vivo took the fourth spot and OPPO came in at fifth.

GRAPHIC

(Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala and Arsheeya Bajwa in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)