Smartphone chip shipments fell 21% year over year in the third quarter of 2026, according to new market research by Counterpoint. Apple’s share of those chips rose from 17% to 21%, the biggest jump of any named chipmaker.
Phone makers cut entry-level models and managed inventory tightly as memory costs rose, so mid-range and budget phones took the biggest hit while Apple and Samsung held up better. That matches the flat iPhone shipments in a phone market that fell 20% in the same quarter.
Apple’s chip share rose four points while MediaTek lost six
Apple’s smartphone chip share went from 17% in the third quarter of 2025 to 21% in the third quarter of 2026. Because the total shrank by 21%, a higher share means Apple’s own chip volume fell by much less than the market’s.
Here is how the other chipmakers moved over the same year:
- MediaTek: 34% to 28%
- Qualcomm: 25% to 22%
- Apple: 17% to 21%
- UNISOC: 14% to 13%
- Samsung: 6% to 8%
- Other vendors: 4% to 8%
Apple and Samsung were better placed because of integrated supply chains and a steady shift toward premium phones. MediaTek and UNISOC depend more on mid-range and entry-level phones, which is where phone makers pulled back the most. Qualcomm also felt softer sales among Chinese phone makers.
Three flagship chips launched in September but fourth-quarter volumes stay below last year
Apple’s A20 Pro, MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600 Pro and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 all launched in September. Analysts expect them to lift premium chip shipments in the fourth quarter, though volumes are still likely to stay below the fourth quarter of 2025.
The A20 Pro is built on 2nm and went on sale September 18 in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which start at $1,199 and $1,299 after Apple’s 2026 price increases. MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600 Pro also uses 2nm, with its first phones expected this quarter.
Smartphone chip shipments are forecast to fall 20% in 2026 and 3% to 4% in 2027
The 20% drop expected for 2026 is steeper than the 12% decline another tracker forecasts for phone shipments. Memory price swings should calm next year, and flagship chip volumes are expected to hold broadly steady in 2027 despite higher prices from the move to 2nm.
Smartphone memory prices rose 5% to 10% from the second quarter to the third and are expected to climb another 5% in the fourth. Apple said on November 2 that memory costs cut its margin by about a point in the September quarter and will cut it again in December.
Most memory suppliers are keeping price increases quiet, and some entry-level phone makers have started using recycled memory to hold down costs. Adoption is staying niche because chips are deeply integrated with surrounding circuitry and RF components, which makes reuse technically hard.
The shortage is not expected to ease soon, as SK hynix, which supplies Apple, expects the memory shortage to last through 2030.
