iPhone Takes Bigger Slice of a Shrinking Smartphone Market

Apple's share of global smartphone shipments reached a record third-quarter high of 22% in 2026, despite a decline in its own iPhone sales, according to preliminary figures from Counterpoint Research. The tech giant finished the quarter just behind Samsung, which held a 23% share of shipments. Overall, the industry shipped 20% fewer smartphones compared to the previous year, marking the lowest total since 2012.

Apple's reduced shipment volume this year was largely attributed to its absence of a standard iPhone 18 model alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in September. Counterpoint noted that Apple supplied fewer new devices to retail channels compared to the iPhone 17 lineup launch the previous year. However, the research firm reported a strong debut for the iPhone 18 Pro models, particularly in China and India.

Apple's iPhone 17 series also continued to support shipments. Apple also outperformed the broader market in China. Separate IDC figures, reported by Reuters, indicated that Apple's shipment decline was 4.3%, compared to a 15.4% contraction across the industry. China's total of 57.9 million units marked its sixth consecutive quarter of annual declines.

Apple secured the second place in China with a 17.8% share, trailing Huawei at 21%. IDC stated that Apple's newly released iPhones exceeded sales expectations, while the smaller selection of new models contributed to its overall reduced shipments. The global downturn was linked to memory chip shortages and rising prices, which made phones costlier to produce.

Counterpoint estimates that smartphone retail prices have increased by 20% globally so far this year, with demand for premium smartphones proving more resilient than budget devices.