European smartphone shipments dip in second quarter
Smartphone shipments into Europe (excluding Russia) fell by 9% to 28.7 million units in the second quarter of 2025, according to Canalys. Restrained consumer and economic outlook is still limiting demand, making Europe the worst-performing smartphone region worldwide over the period.
Samsung sustained a confident lead, despite declining 10% year-on-year to 10.3 million units. Its volume performance was hurt by the Galaxy A06 not being brought into EU-regulated markets due to eco-design regulations.
Apple was the second largest vendor, declining by 4% to 6.9 million units. A consistent iPhone 16 series performance partly helped offset a slimmer portfolio covering fewer price segments than in Q2 2024.
Xiaomi finished third, declining by 4% to 5.4 million units. Its strong comeback in Italy, where it grew more than 50% year-on-year, helped balance out an overall tough demand environment. Motorola and Honor rounded out the top five, respectively declining 18% and growing 11% to 1.5 million and 900,000 units.
“Players in Europe’s smartphone industry have had a tough first half of 2025, defined by sluggish end-user demand and conservative channel inventory strategies,” said Aaron West, Senior Analyst at Omdia. “Additionally, the EU eco-design and energy efficiency regulations came into force in late June, which vendors have spent years preparing for. Any vendors’ desire to stockpile channel inventory ahead of 20 June failed to materialise as the channel remained resistant to taking on any excess inventory. Plus, some of the largest network operators required devices in their portfolios to be compliant a few months in advance. But a healthy channel dynamic positions the market for growth in the second half of the year, as industry players strive to get a positive return on the momentum from the major launch events.”
“Market influence continues to shift toward the largest five players, which held a record-high 87% combined market share in Q2 2025,” said Runar Bjørhovde, Senior Analyst at Canalys. “While it reflects the importance of differentiated brands and scale for a profitable and sustainable business model for vendors, competition remains brutally fierce within the channel. Here, telcos, retailers, e-commerce specialists and direct channels (D2C) are all competing intensely to acquire and retain customers. But growing dependence on a few vendors is making it hard to differentiate. In recent years, both D2C and open-market channels have taken some share, mainly from operators.
“Our recent consumer study of 8,000 Europeans found that the draw toward direct purchases relates to a desire to engage with the brand alongside perceived customer service, while the draw to open-market channels largely relates to pricing. Operators remain a key route to the market for vendors and have been a key catalyst to drive adoption of, for example, 5G and eSIM capable smartphones.”
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