Apple's share of worldwide smartphone shipments rose to a third-quarter record of 22% in the third quarter of 2026, even as its own iPhone shipments declined, according to preliminary figures from Counterpoint Research. Apple finished the quarter just behind Samsung, which accounted for 23% of shipments.
Across the industry, manufacturers shipped 20% fewer smartphones than a year earlier, pushing the July-to-September total to its lowest level since 2012. Counterpoint linked the downturn to shortages and rising prices for memory chips, which have made phones more expensive to produce. It estimates smartphone retail prices have risen 20% globally so far this year, with demand for premium devices proving more resilient than budget models.
Apple's launch plan was a significant factor in its lower volume. With no standard iPhone 18 arriving alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in September, Apple supplied fewer new devices to retail channels than during last year's iPhone 17 launch. Even so, Counterpoint reported a better debut for the iPhone 18 Pro than for the previous Pro generation, with sales in China and India standing out. Demand for the iPhone 17 also continued to support shipments.
Apple also outperformed the wider market in China. Separate IDC figures reported by Reuters put Apple's shipment decline at 4.3%, compared with a 15.4% contraction for the country as a whole. China's total of 57.9 million units marked its sixth consecutive quarter of annual declines. Apple took second place there with a 17.8% share, behind Huawei at 21%, and IDC said newly released iPhones exceeded sales expectations.
Source: MacRumors · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing