While the global smartphone market suffered its steepest third-quarter decline in more than a decade, Apple emerged as the clear winner by keeping shipments flat amid widespread industry contraction.
According to Omdia, worldwide smartphone shipments fell 20% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2026 to 254.7 million units — the lowest third-quarter total since 2013. The drop accelerated from a 6% decline in the prior quarter and occurred even as vendors prepared channels for the holiday season and launched new flagships. Rising device prices, driven largely by elevated memory and storage costs, suppressed demand, particularly in emerging markets, while distributors and retailers remained cautious on inventory.
Apple shipped 56.5 million iPhones during the quarter, unchanged from a year earlier. That flat performance stood in sharp contrast to the broader market and lifted the company’s share to 22%, up from 18%. Samsung, the volume leader, shipped 57.8 million units (down 5%) and held a 23% share. Together the two companies accounted for 45% of global shipments, roughly eight percentage points higher than a year earlier. Mass-market competitors fared far worse: Xiaomi fell 29%, OPPO (including realme and OnePlus) dropped 39%, and vivo declined 33%.
Apple’s resilience stemmed from strength in key developed markets. Demand in China and North America offset weakness in emerging regions, supported by continued interest in the iPhone 17 lineup and advance channel stocking ahead of expected price increases. In September the company introduced the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its first foldable model, the iPhone Duo, while postponing the base iPhone 18 until 2027. The move extended the sales cycle of the prior generation and concentrated holiday demand on higher-margin premium devices.
The downturn hit emerging markets hardest. Africa recorded a 39% year-over-year contraction as higher costs prompted vendors to prioritize margins over aggressive volume growth. Other regions including Asia-Pacific excluding Greater China, the Middle East, and Latin America each fell more than 20%, pressured by currency depreciation, inflation, and reduced purchasing power that led some consumers to delay upgrades or turn to refurbished phones. North America proved more resilient, aided by a premium-oriented mix and established carrier financing, trade-in, and upgrade programs.
Omdia expects full-year 2026 global smartphone shipments to decline 12%, with further price increases and limited promotional flexibility continuing to weigh on demand through the holiday period. The quarter’s results underscore a widening divide: premium-focused vendors with strong brand loyalty and financing ecosystems are better positioned to navigate cost inflation, while volume-oriented players face sharper pressure on both shipments and margins.
MacDailyNews Take: While the smartphone market suffered its worst third-quarter collapse in over a decade, Apple held steady and gained share. That’s what happens when you sell premium products people actually want and provide a secure, privacy-focused ecosystem that keeps them coming back. The rest of the industry is learning (yet again) that chasing volume at all costs is a fool’s errand.
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This was all the doing of Tim Cook. He knew precisely what he was doing, let’s hope the new guy can do as well as Tim did.
The thing I don’t get is why were so many people upset with the Tim Cook era? The era of Apple Watch, the new iPhones/Macs and Apple TV setting the standard for streaming devices. I was one of many that cut the cord when streaming became mature enough to compete, and later beat, cable.
Makes me think that there’s a lot of “falsaj novaĵoj” being distributed to discredit the new guy.
Bonega laboro to Apple’s new show runner.