Mumbai, April 15: Global smartphone shipments have experienced a sluggish start in 2026. According to IDC’s latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, shipments fell by 4.1% year over year in the first quarter, totaling 289.7 million units.
This decline marks the end of a ten-quarter growth streak that began in mid-2023. The reasons are clear: supply constraints related to storage components and rising costs are expected to continue exerting pressure on the market.
Despite the overall decline, the top two companies, Samsung and Apple, managed to grow their market share. They were the only vendors among the global top five to report year-over-year gains.
Market Outlook for Q1 2026
Samsung reclaimed the number one position for the quarter, driven by strong demand for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Even with a later-than-usual launch, shipments rose by 3.6% compared to last year. The company also bolstered its performance with earlier releases in its midrange A series, which helped stabilize overall volumes.
Apple secured the second spot, with the iPhone 17 series experiencing particularly high demand in China. The company achieved over 30% growth in the mainland, contributing to a 3.3% increase globally. However, IDC notes that supply disruptions and weaker channel support in certain regions limited this growth.
For the remaining top five, the performance was less impressive. Xiaomi retained third place but recorded the largest decline among the group. Oppo came in fourth, with stronger performance in China offsetting weaker international results. Notably, Oppo’s data now includes Realme. Vivo rounded out the top five, contributing 7.3% to global smartphone shipments.
Outside the top tier, a few brands showed positive growth. Honor, along with Lenovo (through Motorola) and Huawei, all managed to expand. Honor stood out with a remarkable 24% year-over-year increase, attributed to its overseas expansion efforts.
In China, total shipments reached approximately 69 million units, down 3.3% from the previous year. Even with growth from Huawei and Apple, it was insufficient to counter the overall slowdown.
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