Samsung regains top spot in the smartphone market

After years of dominating the global smartphone market, Samsung lost its crown to Apple last year. However, it has bounced back and reclaimed the top spot in Q1 2026, largely thanks to the strong performance of the Galaxy S26 series launched earlier this year.

According to the latest figures from research firm Omdia, Samsung shipped 65.4 million smartphones and captured a 22 percent market share in Q1 2026. That represents an 8 percent increase year-over-year. The Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26 Ultra appear to have played a major role in driving those shipments.

Previous reports suggest that the Galaxy S26 series could surpass the Galaxy S25 series in terms of sales, with the Galaxy S26 Ultra being the most popular model despite being the most expensive.

Apple slipped to second place, shipping 60.4 million iPhones and capturing a 20 percent market share in Q1 2026. However, this is still an improvement over last year, when it held a 19 percent share.

Xiaomi, despite a 19 percent drop in shipments year-over-year, managed to capture an 11 percent market share, shipping 33.8 million smartphones in Q1 2026.

OPPO shipped 30.7 million smartphones, securing a 10 percent market share, though its shipments declined by 6 percent. These figures include its sub-brands OnePlus and Realme.

Vivo shipped 21.3 million smartphones and captured a 7 percent market share, marking a 7 percent decline compared to the previous year.

Overall, the global smartphone market saw a minimal increase of 1 percent in shipments in Q1 2026 compared to Q1 2025. Omdia expects the market to decline in the second half of the year due to rising memory chip prices, which could affect the profitability of smartphone brands over the next two years.