Samsung maintains smartphone market share lead in Middle East amid Iran war

Samsung Electronics retained its position as the leading smartphone manufacturer in the Middle East during the second quarter of 2026, according to a report from industry tracker Omdia. The conflict in Iran disrupted logistics and supply chains, prompting phone makers to focus on value rather than volume. Manish Pravinkumar, principal analyst at Omdia, noted that this prioritization of profitability and revenue over volume growth is now critical due to the challenging operating environment.

Despite this, Samsung maintained a 39 percent market share, shipping around 4.1 million units, up from 34 percent in the same quarter last year. This figure, however, still represents a 7 percent decrease from the previous year's 4.5 million units. The report highlighted that while Samsung's shipments were down, the company recently introduced its Galaxy Z Fold8 series, with record orders expected to be reflected in third-quarter data.

Honor, the former Huawei subsidiary, held a distant second place with a 13 percent market share, up 2 percent annually. Transsion, which owns Tecno, Infinix, and Itel, and China's Xiaomi both had a market share of about 11 percent, but both experienced significant drops in shipments, down 40 and 50 percent respectively. Apple maintained an 11 percent share, with iPhone shipments increasing by 1 percent year-on-year to about 1.1 million units.

The report suggests that midrange phones, priced between $300 and $800, performed best, with a 16 percent annual increase in shipments. Entry-level phone shipments declined by 42 percent as companies grappled with pricing and supply issues. Apple also played a role in the higher-end segment, particularly in the UAE and Qatar, where flexible payment options and sustained demand kept consumer interest in premium devices high.