Apple’s iPhone market share reached 22% of global smartphone shipments in the third quarter of 2026. It is the first time Apple has topped 20% in any third quarter, and it came in a quarter where the overall market shrank 20% year over year.
The figures come from preliminary Market Monitor estimates from Counterpoint Research, which put Q3 shipments at the lowest third-quarter level since 2012. The firm blames the memory shortage. Higher DRAM and NAND prices inflated component costs and cut supply for most manufacturers, and global smartphone retail prices have risen 20% so far in 2026.
iPhone market share rose even as Apple shipped fewer iPhones
Counterpoint says Apple’s iPhone shipments fell year over year in Q3, though it did not publish a figure. The decline comes mostly from the missing base iPhone 18, which is not due until spring 2027. A year earlier Apple launched the full iPhone 17 lineup, so more units went into the channel in launch month.
The iPhone 18 Pro models launched stronger than their predecessors, particularly in China and India. Continued momentum for the iPhone 17 series also kept the decline from being steeper.
Apple also raised prices on several iPhone models after its September event, though Counterpoint says the effect on Q3 was limited to the final weeks of the quarter. In Q2, Apple reached a record second-quarter share of 20% with flat pricing in a market that contracted 4%.
Xiaomi, OPPO and vivo took the steepest shipment declines
Samsung kept first place with a 23% share, the largest share gain among major brands, even as its shipments fell 3%. Counterpoint credits a focus on higher selling prices and early demand for the Galaxy Z Fold8 series.
The top five brands ranked as follows, with OPPO including OnePlus and realme.
- Samsung: 23% share, shipments down 3% year over year
- Apple: 22% share, shipments down year over year
- Xiaomi: 10% share, shipments down more than 30%
- OPPO: 9% share, shipments down more than 20%
- vivo: 8% share, shipments down more than 20%
Xiaomi cut back on low-priced phones and non-core overseas markets, and raised prices to avoid selling at uneconomical margins. OPPO and vivo raised prices on entry-level and mid-range phones, and vivo’s budget models were pushed out of key price bands. OPPO also merged overlapping operations across OPPO, realme and OnePlus to cut costs.
Counterpoint Senior Analyst Shilpi Jain calls Q3 the second quarter in a row hit hard by the memory crisis. Consumers are holding on to their phones longer and looking at refurbished devices, while premium demand holds up better than the mass market.
The extreme memory shortage is pushing the smartphone market into a more selective phase.
Counterpoint sees no volume recovery until memory costs ease
The firm expects the rest of 2026 to stay difficult. Manufacturers are putting profit ahead of volume, so production cuts, tighter product lineups and a heavier focus on premium phones are likely to continue. Budget phones face the most pressure from higher prices and limited component supply.
Counterpoint does not expect overall volumes to recover in any meaningful way until component costs and supply improve. Between them, Samsung and Apple now account for about 45% of global smartphone shipments.
Our Take
Apple gained share mostly because its competitors cut harder. Apple shipped fewer iPhones than a year ago and still moved up, because Xiaomi, OPPO and vivo cut deeper.
The next quarter will show whether the iPhone 18 Pro momentum holds. Apple was also reported earlier to have cut iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max orders by at least 15%, which sits uneasily next to Counterpoint’s read of a stronger launch. Counterpoint’s figures are based on sell-in, meaning iPhones shipped to channel partners. Actual sales to customers can differ.
