LATAM Smartphone Market Hits a Record

Latin America wrapped 2025 as the strongest year for smartphone shipments the region has seen in a decade. According to Omdia, total units reached 140.5 million, up 3% year-over-year for the full year and 12% in Q4 alone — the highest quarterly volume recorded since 2015.

But headline growth hid a more textured picture underneath. The two largest markets in the region moved in opposite directions, mid-range demand kept pulling the weight, and one new entrant doubled its footprint in under three years.

A record year, but not for everyone

Shipment volume is up, yet regional dynamics split sharply along national lines:

• Brazil remained the region's growth engine, absorbing roughly a third of all LATAM shipments and welcoming renewed competition from HONOR, OPPO, and vivo.

• Mexico, the second-largest market by volume, contracted 4% year-over-year as lengthening replacement cycles and device price inflation pushed consumers to hold on to existing phones longer.

• Smaller markets across the Andean region and Central America posted mixed results, generally tracking global macroeconomic headwinds more than regional demand shifts.

Samsung extends its lead; Xiaomi takes second

The top of the table tightened even as it shuffled. Samsung grew 9% year-over-year to 46.9 million units, closing 2025 with roughly a third of the regional market. A 32% surge in its entry-level A0x and A1x lines drove the expansion — a reminder that LATAM's center of gravity still sits firmly in the sub-$250 segment.

Xiaomi climbed to the number-two position with 24.6 million units shipped, up 8% year-over-year, combining strong momentum from the Redmi A5 4G with a credible upper-mid-range push. Motorola slipped to third at around 21.6 million units, while Apple held roughly 5% share, concentrated at the premium end.

The fastest-growing vendor wasn't any of them. HONOR climbed to fourth place with 11.8 million units, growing 48% for the full year and 64% in Q4 — the clearest signal yet that the region's vendor mix is still very much in motion.

What's driving volume — and what's changing

Three forces shaped purchase behavior in 2025:

1. Longer replacement cycles. Consumers held on to devices longer than in prior years, driven by higher sticker prices and a cautious macroeconomic backdrop.

2. Entry-level still wins on volume. Sub-$200 Android models did the heavy lifting, with Samsung's A-series and Xiaomi's Redmi line leading the segment.

3. Mid-range gains polish. Consumers trading up increasingly picked devices with better cameras, stronger battery life, and early on-device AI features — a segment where Xiaomi and HONOR made the most visible gains.

What it means for 2026

With Samsung consolidating leadership at the low end, Xiaomi pressuring the mid-range, and HONOR taking genuine share, the competitive picture in LATAM is more fluid than it's been in half a decade. For distributors, retailers, and channel partners, that fluidity is an opportunity: the consumers driving the 140-million-unit total aren't locked to a single brand, and the mid-range is where most of the upgrade decisions will be made.

Expect 2026 to turn on three questions: whether Mexico returns to growth, whether HONOR's momentum translates into durable shelf share, and how aggressively Samsung defends the entry-level segment that anchors its regional lead.