Apple Tops Global Smartphone Market for First Time in a Q1

Apple finished as the world's number one smartphone brand by shipments in the first quarter of 2026, according to new data from Counterpoint Research. It's the first time the company has ever led the market in a Q1.

Apple captured 21 percent of global shipments and grew 9 percent year-over-year, even as the overall market contracted 3 percent. Samsung came in a close second, also at 21 percent on roughly flat shipments, foll owed by Xiaomi at 12 percent, OPPO at 10 percent, and vivo at 7 percent. Meanwhile, Xiaomi's shipments fell 19 percent year-over-year, while OPPO and vivo declined 4 percent and 2 percent, respectively.

Apple's brand-level milestone follows Counterpoint's earlier finding that the iPhone 17 was the best-selling smartphone model in the world in Q1, during which the iPhone 17 series swept the top three spots in the firm's Global Handset Model Sales Tracker. During Apple's April 30 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook said the ‌iPhone 17‌ family was the most popular lineup in Apple's history.

Apart from sustained iPhone 17 demand, Counterpoint credits Apple's brand-level performance to its proactive supply chain management as well as improved sales in China. The firm said Apple's ability to maintain premium pricing and protect margins also helped it weather the ongoing memory chip shortage a lot better than its rivals.

Shortages of DRAM and NAND memory continue to weigh on the market as a whole, as chipmakers prioritize AI data center customers over smartphone manufacturers. Cook has said memory shortages and rising costs will have more of an impact on Apple later in 2026. Counterpoint expects the rest of the year to impact most brands similarly, with the memory crisis potentially stretching all the way into late 2027.

Apple remains the top manufacturer of satellite-capable smartphones globally, with such devices projected to reach 46% of all smartphone shipments by 2030, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research. The firm's Smartphone Satellite Connection Report finds that Apple kickstarted the satellite phone trend when it partnered with Globalstar to bring Emergency SOS via satellite to the...

iPhone 17 Outselling Every Other Phone Worldwide So Far This Year

Apple's iPhone 17 was the best-selling smartphone globally in the first quarter of 2026, capturing 6 percent of worldwide unit sales, according to Counterpoint Research's latest Global Handset Model Sales Tracker. The iPhone 17 series dominated the top three spots, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max in second place and the iPhone 17 Pro in third. The previous-generation iPhone 16 also held on at...

Apple Grew U.S. iPhone Sales While Broader Smartphone Market Declined in Q1

Apple's smartphone sales increased 1.3 percen t year-over-year in the United States during the first quarter of 2026, according to data shared by Counterpoint Research. Apple saw a sales increase while the broader U.S. smartphone market experienced a 5.7 percent decline during the same time period. Android device sales declined 14.4 percent, while Apple's market share grew 4 percent...