Apple's iPhone production jumped 19.7% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026, reaching approximately 60.2 million units, according to TrendForce. This surge occurred while the global smartphone market contracted 1.7% over the same period, demonstrating Apple's resilience amid industry-wide challenges.

Samsung maintained its lead with 62.6 million units, though Apple closed the gap significantly. TrendForce credits the iPhone 17e launch and ongoing iPhone 17 production ramp for Apple's strong performance. The company appears better positioned than competitors to handle rising memory component costs without sacrificing profitability, and notably hasn't raised prices like other brands.

Chinese manufacturers Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo ranked third through fifth with 29.5 million, 26 million, and 22 million units respectively. All three face production uncertainty due to surging memory costs eroding profit margins. Sixth-place Transsion appears particularly vulnerable, given its focus on entry-level and budget segments where margins are already thin.

TrendForce projects a 16.2% year-over-year decline in global smartphone production to 1.051 billion units for 2026. The forecast could worsen if memory prices stay elevated and force additional retail price increases across the industry.