Samsung became the third-largest smartphone seller in Japan in Q2 2025, according to Counterpoint Research.

The South Korean company held 10% of the market, up from 7% a year earlier.

Apple kept its lead with 49%, while Google followed with 11%.

Sharp and Xiaomi had 6% and 5% shares, respectively.

Samsung’s smartphone shipments in Japan rose 60% year-on-year, while Apple and Google saw rises of 38% and 13%.

🔗 Source: Yonhap

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Samsung’s Japan recovery demonstrates the power of sustained market re-entry strategy

Samsung’s climb to 10% market share represents a remarkable turnaround from its lowest point nearly a decade ago.

The company’s market share had collapsed from 14.8% in 2012 to just 5% by 2015, when historical tensions between Japan and South Korea forced Samsung to remove its branding from Galaxy phones entirely 2.

The recovery has been gradual but consistent, rising to 3.4% by 2017, then achieving positive growth as the only top-five vendor in 2018 with a 10.1% shipment increase 34.

This trajectory shows how sustained investment and product focus can rebuild market position even after severe brand damage in culturally sensitive markets.

Samsung’s 60% shipment growth in Q2 2024 suggests the company has finally found the right formula for competing in Japan’s Apple-dominated landscape, where the iPhone consistently holds around 50% market share 13.

2️⃣ AI differentiation breaks through Japan’s premium smartphone duopoly

Samsung’s success in Japan illustrates how product innovation can disrupt established market hierarchies, even in preference-driven markets.

Japan’s smartphone market has been notably difficult for foreign brands, with Apple maintaining 49-56% market share for years while local brands like Sharp and Sony struggle to compete 13.

Recent Samsung developments