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Counterpoint Research has published its latest report on global smartphone shipments for Q1 2026, showing that strong demand for the iPhone 17 helped Apple take the top spot in the market for the first time in a first quarter. Here are the details.
according to the data the report, Apple’s global smartphone shipments grew 5% year over year in the first quarter of 2026, even as the rest of the market declined, with some vendors seeing drops of up to 19% over the same period.
Apple led the global smartphone market for the first time for a Q1, achieving 21% market share and 5% YoY growth in Q1 2026. Apple remains the most insulated brand against the memory crisis due to its ultra-premium positioning and highly integrated supply chain. Continuous strong demand for the iPhone 17 series and aggressive trade-in programs, along with ecosystem stickiness, drove overall volume growth despite a softer macro environment. The brand experienced notably stronger growth in several key Asia-Pacific markets, such as China, India and Japan, highlighting robust demand for iPhones and effective strategies in these high-potential markets.
As most frequent 9to5Mac readers will probably guess, the reason for such a market-wide drop was the ongoing shortage of DRAM and NAND memory. That, combined with weaker demand in some regions, pushed OEMs to scale back shipments, while simultaneously forcing them to “pass increased Bills of Material (BOM) costs directly to the consumer,” further cooling demand.
Interestingly, Counterpoint noted that Google and Nothing saw the biggest year-over-year growth at 14% and 25%, respectively. However, their volumes remained too small to break into the top five, keeping them in the “Others” category.
And speaking of the top five, with Apple topping the ranking for the first time in a first quarter with a 21% sell-in shipment share, Samsung came in second with a 20% share and a 6% year-over-year drop, Xiaomi placed third with a 12% share and a 19% drop, OPPO followed with an 11% share and a 4% decline, vivo placed fifth with an 8% share and a 2% drop, while other OEMs combined for a 28% share and a 10% decline.
As for what’s ahead, Counterpoint says the “outlook for 2026 remains weak, as the memory crunch may last until late 2027,” adding that “OEMs are expected to prioritize value over volume, configuration updates, cutting low-margin models, and leveraging refurbished devices to retain budget users.”