IDC: Apple closes in on Samsung as global smartphone shipments see record decline in Q3

The International Data Corporation (IDC) reported in a recent study that Apple's global iPhone shipments experienced a 4% decrease year-over-year in Q3 2026, but its market share of worldwide smartphone shipments grew by 23.1% compared to the same period last year. This decline and market share increase followed a 22% drop in global smartphone shipments from Q3 2025, reflecting broader industry trends.

The primary reason for the decline in smartphone shipments, according to IDC, is a global memory shortage that has led to soaring component costs and significant challenges for manufacturers, especially those in lower-end markets. Samsung secured the top spot with 57.8 million units shipped and a 22.6% market share, marking a 5.8% decline year-over-year.

Apple followed in second place with 57.3 million units shipped, while Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo rounded out the top five. Notably, OPPO saw the steepest decline among the top five, with shipments falling by 34.5% compared to the previous year, while Apple's decline was the least at 4%.

This data places Apple just 500,000 units behind Samsung, with a difference of just 0.2 percentage points in market share. Nabila Popal, IDC's senior research director for Worldwide Devices, commented on the situation, stating that the industry's sharp downturn has now materialized in the third quarter of 2026, with shipments declining at a record 22% year-over-year.

However, Popal added that "the worst is yet to come" as current indicators suggest the market has not yet reached its bottom. She noted that memory costs have surged approximately 350% since last year and are still rising, exerting substantial pressure on vendor margins and shipments. Although the memory inflation rate has slowed in Q3 compared to prior quarters, with a low double-digit increase, costs for other critical components remain elevated, further exacerbating the industry's challenges.