Global smartphone shipments declined in Q1 of 2026 as the market faced tighter memory supply and rising production costs. According to IDC, 289.7 million devices were shipped in Q1 2026. That’s a 4.1% drop from the same period last year and the first quarter of negative growth since 2023.
Market Leaders
Samsung led the market with 62.8 million shipments and a 21.7% share. According to IDC, demand for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, along with the earlier launch of the Galaxy A367 and A57, should support its volume this year. Apple followed with 61.1 million shipments and a 19.6% share, thanks to continued interest in the iPhone 17 series, especially in China.
Other Top Brands
Xiaomi ranked third with 33.8 million shipments and an 11.7% share. OPPO placed fourth with 30.7 million shipments and a 10% share, while vivo came fifth with 21.2 million shipments and a 7.5% share. Samsung and Apple were the only top-five brands to post year-over-year shipment and market share growth.
No thanks to the ongoing memory chip crisis, IDC analysts are seeing shaky months for the smartphone market, average selling prices will continue to go up, and emerging markets that focus on devices with a sub-USD 200 price tag seeing a decrease in demand.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
Q: How many smartphones were shipped globally in Q1 2026?
A: IDC reported 289.7 million shipments.
Q: What caused the decline in demand?
A: IDC pointed to acute memory supply constraints and rising bill-of-materials costs.
Q: Which company led the market?
A: Samsung led with 62.8 million shipments.
Q: Which brands grew year over year?
A: Samsung and Apple were the only top-five brands with positive growth.
Q: What does IDC expect next?
A: IDC expects more pressure on prices, with memory costs likely stabilizing in the second half of 2027.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
