According to a new Counterpoint Research report, Apple grew iPhone shipments by 3% year over year and captured a record 20% share of global smartphone shipments despite an industry-wide downturn. Here are the details.
Counterpoint Research says that during the second quarter of 2026, Samsung led the global smartphone market with a 24% shipment share, followed by Apple at 20% (a record for the period), Xiaomi at 12%, OPPO at 11%, and vivo at 8%.
Compared with the same period last year, Samsung gained four percentage points of market share, Apple gained three, vivo gained one, Xiaomi lost two, and OPPO lost one. Other manufacturers’ combined share fell from 28% to 26%.
As Counterpoint noted, Samsung returned to the top of the global smartphone market share sell-in ranking in Q2 2026, after Apple led the first quarter on strong iPhone 17 demand.
For Q2 2026, while Apple was the only major OEM to avoid price hikes, Samsung grew faster thanks to strong demand for the Galaxy S26 series, improved product availability, and more aggressive promotions.
Here’s Counterpoint on Apple’s performance for the quarter:
“Apple’s shipments grew 3% YoY during the quarter, while its market share climbed to a record 20%. It was also the only major OEM to avoid smartphone price hikes during the quarter. This marks an extended streak of YoY growth for the brand, driven by the continued strength of the iPhone 17 series which remained the top-shipped global model, alongside resilient demand in several key markets. China remained a relative soft spot, with Apple’s shipments declining YoY despite an early promotional campaign ahead of the 618-shopping festival, as this year’s discounts were less aggressive than the promotions offered during the same period in 2025. Legacy iPhone models also faced softer demand, as component allocation prioritized current-generation devices amid memory-related supply constraints.”
Looking ahead, Counterpoint says it expects “global smartphone shipments to decline by around 14% for the full year, with the global memory shortage expected to persist in 2027.” The firm says manufacturers will continue to cut low-margin models, adjust storage configurations, and rely more heavily on refurbished and previous-generation devices until supply conditions improve.
To read Counterpoint’s full report, follow this link.
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