{"id":106409,"date":"2026-07-14T14:30:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T10:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/?p=106409"},"modified":"2026-07-14T14:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T10:30:13","slug":"why-global-smartphone-shipments-just-hit-a-13-year-low","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/why-global-smartphone-shipments-just-hit-a-13-year-low\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Global Smartphone Shipments Just Hit a 13-Year Low"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The smartphone industry faced a difficult quarter in 2026. According to preliminary estimates from Counterpoint Research<\/a>, global smartphone shipments fell 11% year over year (YoY) in Q2 2026. As a result, the market recorded its weakest second-quarter performance since 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest reason behind the decline was the ongoing memory shortage. Rising DRAM and NAND prices increased production costs across the industry, forcing many smartphone brands to raise prices at a time when consumers were already under financial pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The memory crisis is now a demand problem<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What began as a supply chain challenge has evolved into a broader demand issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Memory suppliers have continued prioritizing AI data center demand over consumer electronics. Consequently, DRAM and NAND prices rose sharply throughout the quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This pushed up smartphone bill of materials (BOM) costs. In response, many manufacturers increased retail prices, particularly for entry-level and mid-range devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some brands chose different strategies. They extended the life of older models, relied on promotions, or reduced production volumes to manage costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East increased oil and shipping expenses. Combined with slower economic growth, higher inflation, and weak consumer confidence, the result was a more challenging environment for smartphone sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samsung returns to the top<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the market slowdown, Samsung emerged as the quarter\u2019s biggest winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company regained its position as the world’s largest smartphone vendor, capturing a 24% market share in Q2 2026. It also recorded the strongest year-over-year growth among the top five smartphone brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samsung benefited from better product availability, relatively stable pricing, and aggressive seasonal promotions in key regions such as India and the Middle East<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, strong demand for the Galaxy S26 series contributed to growth. The Galaxy S26 Ultra, in particular, stood out thanks to its privacy display and AI-powered features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samsung’s vertically integrated operations and expanding AI portfolio also helped it navigate the difficult market conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple reaches a new milestone<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple was another bright spot in an otherwise weak quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company recorded 3% YoY shipment growth and achieved a record 20% market share for a second quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notably, Apple was the only major smartphone brand that did not raise prices during the quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demand for the iPhone 17 series remained strong and helped sustain growth across several markets. However, China continued to be a challenging region for Apple, with shipments declining despite promotional campaigns ahead of the annual 618 shopping festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, older iPhone models saw softer demand as component supplies were increasingly directed toward current-generation devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Xiaomi, OPPO and vivo feel the pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Samsung and Apple gained ground, several Chinese smartphone brands faced a tougher quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo all reported double-digit shipment declines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their greater exposure to entry-level and mid-range segments made them particularly vulnerable to rising memory costs and weaker consumer demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many consumers delayed upgrading their devices, opted for older-generation smartphones, or extended replacement cycles altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, Xiaomi maintained a 12% market share. The company simplified its product portfolio and eased retailer financing terms to support sales. It also saw encouraging traction in the premium segment through the Redmi Note 15 series, Redmi K90, and Xiaomi 17 series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OPPO secured an 11% market share. Although demand remained soft across many markets, its A-series and Reno lineup helped cushion the overall decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

vivo finished the quarter with an 8% market share. Supply constraints and price increases affected several key models, impacting overall shipments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google and Huawei move in the opposite direction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not every smartphone brand struggled during the quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google recorded 16% shipment growth, driven by strong demand for the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10a in developed markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huawei also expanded its shipments by 6% YoY. Growth was supported by the Mate 80 series, Nova 15, and the recently launched Enjoy 90 series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens next?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The outlook for the remainder of 2026 remains uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Counterpoint Research expects the memory shortage to continue into 2027, creating ongoing challenges for smartphone manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, brands are likely to focus more on profitability than shipment volume. Many are expected to reduce low-margin models, adjust storage configurations, and place greater emphasis on refurbished and previous-generation devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The premium segment is expected to remain relatively resilient, supported by financing programs, ecosystem loyalty, and AI-driven retail experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, however, global smartphone shipments remain under pressure. Until memory supply improves significantly, a meaningful recovery in global smartphone shipments appears unlikely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The smartphone industry faced a difficult quarter in 2026. According […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":106410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9618],"tags":[1432],"contributor":[9732],"class_list":["post-106409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editors-pick","tag-smartphones","contributor-news-desk"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Why-Smartphone.jpg.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"Rabab","author_link":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/author\/rabab\/"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106409"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106411,"href":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106409\/revisions\/106411"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106409"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techxmedia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=106409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}