iPhone 17 helps Apple achieve record market share
According to statistics from market research company Omdia, Apple's market share in the second quarter of 2026 reached 20%, an increase of 4 percentage points over the same period last year. Previously, the company had never achieved this level of market share in April-June, its lowest period of the year.
Omdia assesses that the iPhone 17 generation has created one of the strongest upgrade cycles for Apple. At the same time, iPhone prices remained stable while competitors were forced to adjust due to component scarcity.
However, a series of Mac and iPad products increased their prices at the end of June and the iPhone may not be an exception in the near future. In mid-June, Apple CEO Tim Cook told the WSJ that they were under increasing cost pressure for memory chips and hard drives. Bloomberg and Ice Universe news source both predict that the iPhone 17 price may increase before the iPhone 18 launches in September.
Overall, the global smartphone market in the second quarter of 2026 decreased by 4% compared to the same period last year. The reason is that the memory chip crisis affects smartphone prices, causing consumer demand to decline, according to Omdia.
Leading the last quarter was Samsung with 22% market share. Experts assess that there are two factors that help the Korean company maintain its position, including the ability to maintain market demand and a strong supply chain. Delaying the launch of the Galaxy S series compared to last year helps push demand to the second quarter of 2026. The company also has an advantage in producing memory chips. Meanwhile, scarce components cause Chinese companies to narrow their product portfolio and increase selling prices. Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo all decreased market share over the same period.
Earlier this week, market research company Counterpoint Research released a report showing a difficult picture of the smartphone industry. Global phone output in the second quarter of 2026, decreased by 11% over the same period last year, to the lowest level of the April-June period in 13 years. Apple went upstream when the number of devices shipped increased by 3%.
"Consumption decreased the most in the segment under 400 USD," said Mr. Runar Bjorhovde, chief analyst at Omdia. This is a segment with low profit margins and users are price sensitive. Meanwhile, smartphone companies are having to buy memory chips at prices 4 to 5 times higher than last year, causing memory and capacity to account for more than 60% of the device's total material cost.
Experts believe that until the second half of 2027, memory chip prices will begin to decrease. However, smartphone prices are unlikely to return to pre-2025 levels, as companies are forced to make long-term strategic changes that will ensure the adaptability and sustainability of their businesses in the coming years. Therefore, they will move to the high-end segment to protect profit margins and revenue, leaving users in the low-end segment with fewer choices, according to Bjorhovde.