Thailand’s smartphone market in Q3 2025 shows a competitive landscape driven by strong brand loyalty, expanding 5G adoption, and aggressive mid-range offerings. According to the latest market snapshot from Omdia, Samsung leads the country’s smartphone shipments with a solid 24 percent share, supported by its wide device portfolio and strong retail presence.
OPPO holds the second position with 17 percent share, reflecting its continued strength in offline sales and camera-centric mid-range models. Xiaomi follows in third place with 15 percent share, driven by demand for value-driven 5G smartphones.
Apple ranks fourth with a 13 percent share as premium demand remains steady among urban buyers. Vivo completes the top five with 11 percent share, maintaining a stable presence in the budget and mid-range categories.
Telecom market
Thailand’s telecom market is dominated by two major players following the 2023 merger of TrueMove and DTAC into True Corporation, and AIS. This consolidation has created a duopoly, with AIS holding around 46 percent of mobile connections and True Corporation about 51 percent, according to the GSMA report.
The total number of mobile connections in Thailand stood at about 98 million by end 2023, reflecting a very high penetration rate (nearly 148 percent).
Thailand’s telecom market is worth around USD 15 billion, and is projected to grow to USD 18.2 billion by 2030, according to Mordor Intelligence. Data and internet services already make up nearly two‑thirds of total MNO revenue, reflecting a clear shift from voice to digital consumption.
In Q3 2024, 5G accounted for 26.6 percent of mobile connections in Thailand’s telecom market, while 4G was at 66.6 percent.
On the subscriber side, AIS had about 45.8 million mobile users in 2024, while True Corp was around 49.4 million, including both prepaid and postpaid. In 2023, there were approximately 19.7 million 5G package subscriptions, though not all of them represent true 5G handset use—some are 4G devices on “5G‑branded” plans.
Data plans in Thailand are competitive, especially with unlimited offerings. Operators offer both prepaid and postpaid unlimited data plans with relatively low ARPU. There are tourist SIMs: DTAC (under True) offers a 7‑day 7 GB deal for 49 THB, and a 30‑day 30 GB plan for 199 THB, though some plans may have speed caps. Users report unlimited postpaid 4G/5G plans in the range of ~1,200 THB/month.
Network quality is reasonable: according to nPerf, in 2024 AIS recorded 5G download speeds of ~71 Mbps, while True (TrueMove H) was ~63 Mbps. According to GSMA, 3G and 4G coverage is near universal, and 5G rollout is expected to continue strongly — 5G connections could reach 60 million by 2028, with network coverage expanding accordingly.
Overall, Thailand’s smartphone market continues to be shaped by the balance between premium upgrades and competitively priced Android devices, with growth concentrated in 5G-ready models and battery-efficient designs.
Shafana Fazal