The global smartphone market is going through a rough patch, but Apple is still managing to grow its piece of the pie, reports Counterpoint. During the second quarter of 2026, worldwide smartphone shipments dropped by 11% compared to last year, hitting the lowest point for a second quarter since 2013. A severe shortage of memory chips is shaking up the industry, forcing many brands to raise prices or hold back on new releases just to survive the squeeze.
Apple grows its market share by avoiding device price hikes
While the broader market struggled, Apple grew its shipments by 3% compared to the same time last year. This steady growth helped the brand capture a record-breaking 20% of the global market. A big reason for this success is that it was the only major phone maker to keep its prices steady during the quarter, completely avoiding the hikes that hit other brands.
Shoppers responded well to this stability. The current iPhone 17 lineup drove most of the sales, holding its place as the most shipped phone model around the world. Because of the memory chip shortage, the company focused its limited parts on building its newest models, which meant older devices saw a bit less demand. Things were a bit slower in China, where the brand saw a slight sales drop despite early shopping festival promotions.
Samsung reclaims the top spot while the memory crisis continues
Even with Apple’s record quarter, Samsung actually took back the number one spot globally. The brand secured a 24% market share and saw the strongest yearly growth among the top five smartphone makers. It managed to hit the right balance of pricing and regional availability to boost its numbers during a tough financial period.
However, the road ahead looks bumpy for the entire industry. Counterpoint Research notes that the shortage of DRAM and NAND memory chips has become the biggest problem for the phone market, turning a component issue into a real demand crisis. Budget and mid-range phones are the hardest hit, as it simply costs too much to make them at their old price tags.
Looking at the rest of 2026, shoppers should expect to see fewer phone launches and longer lifespans for current models. Unless the memory shortage eases up, buying a new device will likely remain expensive, pushing buyers to hold onto their phones longer than usual as manufacturers navigate the higher production costs.
