Samsung retook the global smartphone shipment lead from Apple in the second quarter, with a 24% share vs. Apple’s 20% according to Counterpoint Research.

Overall shipments fell 11% year on year to their weakest second-quarter level since 2013.

Counterpoint said the decline was driven by shortages of DRAM and NAND flash, as chipmakers prioritized demand from AI data centers. That pushed up component costs and weakened consumer demand, a trend IDC also described as a broader memory shortage.

Samsung benefited from strong Galaxy S26 sales, especially the S26 Ultra, and promotions in India and the Middle East. Apple’s shipments still rose 3% from a year earlier, supported by steady iPhone 17 demand and unchanged prices.

The quarterly lead change does not necessarily signal a lasting shift. Apple led Counterpoint’s first-quarter rankings, and the research firm had earlier projected that Apple would top annual smartphone shipments in 2025.

IDC also said Samsung and Apple were the only two top-five vendors to post year-on-year growth in the first quarter of 2026.

Omdia also ranked Samsung first at 22% and Apple second at 20%. It expects the global smartphone market to decline 12% this year, largely due to a 22% drop in shipments priced below $400.

🔗 Source: The Korea Herald

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