Last updated: July 13th, 2026 at 18:11 UTC+02:00
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Still the king.
Reading time: 2 minutes
Asif Iqbal Shaik / SamMobile
The insane rise in memory chip prices is hurting smartphone shipments, and the latest data supports it.
Yet, despite these troubling market dynamics, Samsung took the top spot for global smartphone shipments in the second quarter of 2026, ahead of Apple in second place.
Counterpoint Research notes that global smartphone shipments declined by 11% in Q2, reaching their lowest level for the period since 2013. Higher prices led to reduced demand which resulted in fewer shipments.
Samsung took the top spot in Q2 2026 and accounted for 24% of global smartphone shipments. It also saw the highest year-over-year growth of the five largest phone makers, including Samsung.
The Korean giant's share was supported by strong sales of the Galaxy S26 series in addition to the fewer price increases that it made in key markets across the Middle East and India.
Apple came in second place with a 20% share in the second quarter. It also posted a 3% rise in shipments compared to the same quarter last year. Consistent demand for the iPhone supported its performance in this quarter, and the fact that it didn't raise prices. However, it may need to raise prices in the future which may have an impact on its shipments in the coming quarters.
Looking ahead, the global smartphone market isn't out of the woods just yet. It's expected that global shipments will decline by 14% this year as higher prices are expected to stay due to the ongoing memory market disruption.
Adnan Farooqui is a long-term writer at SamMobile. Based in Pakistan, his interests include technology, finance, Swiss watches and Formula 1. His tendency to write long posts betrays his inclination to being a man of few words.
