Global Smartphone Shipments Decline, Apple Gains iOS Market Share
The global smartphone market is experiencing a downturn in 2026 due to rising memory costs that are increasing device prices and reducing demand for lower-end models. Despite this contraction, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has maintained its U.S. shipment share year over year following the launch of the iPhone 17e earlier in the quarter. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (OTC:SSNLF) increased both annual and sequential market shares by expanding Galaxy A17 5G shipments, while Alphabet Inc's Google also gained ground with Pixel sales. In contrast, Motorola lost share due to weak prepaid demand. Apple is expected to see a modest decline in global smartphone shipments of just 1.3%, allowing iOS to reach an estimated record high of 23.6% market share. Analysts have issued mixed ratings for AAPL recently, with some upgrading and others downgrading the stock based on revised forecasts.
Topics: Apple global smartphone market Google Huawei memory costs Samsung