Tech firms globally have increased the price of their handsets in the last few months. While not every company has come out with a statement, various reports highlight that the ongoing shortage of memory and storage components has increased the manufacturing costs, since component manufacturers have redirected the supply of DRAM and NAND sticks towards AI data centers. Now, a market research report claims that smartphone shipments witnessed a notable decline in the second quarter of 2026 (Q2 2026) because of the ongoing “memory crisis”. While the overall industry witnessed a decline, the market shares of Samsung and Apple grew, bagging the first and second spots, respectively.
Global Phone Shipments Declined Due to the Ongoing Memory Crisis
According to the latest market research report by Omdia, the global shipments declined by 4 percent in Q2 2026. The report highlights that the ongoing memory and storage components shortage disrupted supply chains and drove their prices.
“The current dynamic has created severe market polarization, reflecting stark differences in vendors’ mitigation strategies which vary according to their priorities, scale, price-band focus, and core audience demographics,” Omidia says.
Despite the downward industry trend, Samsung and Apple managed to increase their market shares, unlike their Chinese competitors. Samsung retained the top spot with the largest market share of 22 percent in Q2 2026. The South Korean tech giant’s shipments grew by 2 percent compared to the same quarter last year.
Global smartphone shipments reportedly fell by 4 percent in Q2 2026.
Photo Credit: Omdia
The report cites “resilient demand and strong supply availability” for the company’s strong performance. Moreover, the delayed launch of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series reportedly pushed some of the demand into Q2 2026. The report added, “Samsung gained ground in the budget segment as Chinese rivals pivoted to a more conservative strategy.”
On the other hand, Apple took the second spot with a 20 percent market share in Q2 2026. The Cupertino-based tech giant saw its market share grow by the highest margin of 4 percent, from 16 percent in Q2 2025.
This is said to be the iPhone maker’s best Q2 performance ever, on the back of strong iPhone 17 series performance and upgrade cycle. Apple reportedly also benefited from stable pricing, as the competition has raised the prices of its handsets.
As previously mentioned, the prominent Chinese smartphone makers reportedly had a less cheerful Q2 2026. Xiaomi was placed at third with a market share of 11 percent, including the shipments of Poco and Redmi phones, down from 15 percent in Q2 2025.
Oppo took the fourth spot with a market share of 10 percent, including the shipments of Realme and OnePlus, witnessing a 2 percent decline. Lastly, Vivo and iQOO’s combined market share fell to 8 percent in Q2 2026 from 9 percent in the same quarter last year.
