Samsung Takes a Big Bite of Apple When It Comes to User Loyalty

In the tech world, one company’s loss is another company’s gain. And that might be exactly what’s happening. What used to be rock-solid brand loyalty is starting to crack. After years of dominating the market with a near-cult following, recent data shows fewer iPhone users are sticking with Apple when it’s upgrade time. Meanwhile, Samsung is quietly winning over more people and growing its loyal user base.

Apple loyalty is dropping year drastically

For years, iPhone users were famously loyal. So much so that once they switched to Apple, they rarely went back to Android. In 2023, a record 94% of iPhone owners chose to upgrade to another iPhone, according to CIRP (via PhoneArena). That loyalty dropped to 89% in 2024 and has stayed there. The report says the decline may be due to Apple’s lack of exciting new features recently. Not to forget, how terribly Apple’s Clean up tool performed against Samsung’s Object Eraser. That’s just one example.

Some fans are also disappointed with Siri, which hasn’t met expectations and even caused Apple to pull some ads. The shift from 94% to 89% shows a clear drop in loyalty. Apple released the iPhone 15 in 2023 and introduced AI-powered Apple Intelligence features in 2024. However, the base iPhone 15 and 15 Plus don’t include these AI upgrades. That might’ve disappointed some users and pushed them toward Android.

More Samsung users are staying loyal

Meanwhile, Samsung’s Galaxy phone loyalty is moving in the opposite direction. In 2021, only 68% of Samsung owners bought another Galaxy when upgrading. By 2025, that number has climbed to 76%. There was a small dip in 2024, but overall, Samsung’s loyal customer base is growing. It goes without saying that Galaxy AI features have played a huge role in this shift.

Samsung’s 76% is still well below the iPhone’s 89% loyalty rate, frankly. But what we often overlook is that Samsung isn’t just competing with Apple; it’s up against a whole range of Android brands. The Android market is fragmented, and Samsung faces stiff competition globally, especially from fast-growing Chinese brands.

Yet, despite all that, Samsung came out on top with a 20% market share in global phone shipments in Q1 2025. According to data from Counterpoint Research, Apple followed closely behind with 19%.