Apple's Steady Pricing Pays Off with Record Q2 Market Share Amid Broader Smartphone Slump

Apple captured a record 20% of global smartphone shipments in the second quarter of 2026, its best second-quarter performance on record, even as worldwide shipments fell 4% year over year amid an ongoing memory chip shortage, according to Omdia as reported by MacRumors. The milestone comes in what is normally Apple's slowest quarter, underscoring the strength of the iPhone 17 upgrade cycle.

"Apple's success was driven by a strong iPhone 17 upgrade cycle and keeping prices flat while competitors raised theirs."

Omdia noted that Apple held iPhone 17 prices steady while rivals increased theirs, a move that likely boosted demand. However, MacRumors added that Apple did raise prices on other products later in the quarter.

Samsung held onto the top spot with 24% market share, according to SamMobile, buoyed by strong sales of its Galaxy S26 series, particularly the Ultra variant. Counterpoint Research told SamMobile that Samsung's Galaxy S26 "has done very well," and the company saw growth in India and the Middle East through aggressive promotions. Lightreading reported that Samsung and Apple both bucked the downward trend, growing shipments and increasing their market share by 2 and 4 percentage points respectively compared to the same quarter last year.

2 sources

SamMobileSamsung beats Apple to stay on top of a smartphone market in troublelightreadingGlobal smartphone market down 4% in 2Q26 while Apple and Samsung soared – Omdia

The broader market downturn was driven by a memory chip shortage that squeezed smaller competitors. Ars Technica summarized the situation bluntly: "global smartphone shipments hit historic lows due to a memory chip shortage, but Apple and Samsung continue to perform well." The two dominant players effectively weathered the storm while lesser brands struggled to source components.

9to5Toys reported that Apple grew iPhone shipments by 3% year over year even as the overall market shrank. With Apple's 20% share and Samsung's 24%, the two companies together now command nearly half of all global smartphone shipments, a concentration that reflects both their supply chain advantages and the challenges facing the rest of the industry.

9to5ToysReport: Apple hits record 20% global smartphone shipment share as market plunges