Counterpoint Research (CR) has conscionable published its study regarding the planetary smartphone marketplace for the 3rd 4th of the twelvemonth (July to September). And it was a unspeakable one. Shipments dropped 20% compared to Q3 2025. The lone winners successful presumption of increasing their marketplace shares were Samsung and Apple.
Samsung led the battalion with a 23% marketplace stock (compared to 19% successful the year-ago quarter), portion Apple was a adjacent 2nd with 22% (up from 18% successful Q3 2025). They were followed by Xiaomi with 10% of the pastry (down from 14%), Oppo with 9% (down from 12%), and vivo with 8% (down from 9%).
CR says Q3 2026 saw the lowest smartphone shipments successful 14 years successful a 3rd quarter, and of people it's each owed to "continued representation shortages" arsenic CR puts it. We'd suffice that a spot - it's not shortages per se, but alternatively a shortage of not-insanely-priced memory.
Anyway, Samsung's decent show is seemingly owed to "robust aboriginal demand" for the Galaxy Z Fold8, Fold8 Ultra, and Flip8 (although the Fold8 was seemingly the king of the bunch). On the different hand, Apple's marketplace stock crossed 20% for the archetypal clip successful immoderate Q3 successful history. CR says premium instrumentality request remained resilient, portion the affordable extremity of the marketplace is being squeezed retired by expanding prices acknowledgment to the ever much costly memory.
Global retail smartphone prices person gone up by 20% truthful acold this year, CR says. The steadfast thinks the outlook for the remainder of the twelvemonth "remains challenging", with smartphone makers progressively prioritizing profitability implicit shipment volumes. Production cuts, trimmer portfolios, and a greater absorption connected premium devices are each expected to continue.
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