Smartphone Brands: Shifting Loyalty?

In the smartphone market, users' brand loyalty remains strong for industry leaders Apple and Samsung, but a notable share of customers say they could switch in the future. According to Statista Consumer Insights surveys conducted between January and December 2025, Apple currently has the largest user base in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan, while Samsung leads in Germany.

In the United States, 47 percent of respondents primarily use an iPhone, compared with 29 percent who use a Samsung device. At the same time, more than a third of Apple users (35 percent) say they are likely to change smartphone brands, while the share is slightly lower among Samsung users (31 percent). A similar pattern can be seen in the United Kingdom, where Apple also leads in usage (47 percent vs. 34 percent), although roughly three in ten users of both brands say they may switch.

Germany stands out as a Samsung stronghold, with 38 percent of respondents primarily using the South Korean company’s smartphones, compared with 35 percent for Apple. Here, however, Samsung users appear more loyal: only 20 percent say they are likely to change brand, compared with 28 percent of Apple users.

Japan presents the most striking contrast. While Apple dominates the market with 43 percent of respondents using an iPhone primarily, Samsung has a much smaller user base at 8 percent (just behind Sharp, Google, and Sony, at 10-12 percent). It is among the Japanese consumers that Samsung's brand loyalty appears weaker, with around 34 percent saying they are likely to switch brands, whereas loyalty to Apple is the strongest among the countries analyzed (only 21 percent of iPhone users are likely to change).