A new report from Counterpoint Research reveals that global smartphone shipments suffered a 20% YoY decline, the lowest it’s been in 14 years.
This is still due to the unending increases in RAM and storage prices, which obviously inflated the cost of making smartphones — costs that are then passed on to consumers.
Counterpoint Senior Analyst Shilpi Jain said that the ongoing memory shortage is making the smartphone market more selective, with consumers keeping phones longer, considering refurbished devices, and favoring higher-value models, while OEMs adjust pricing and product strategies. This is putting greater pressure on the mass-market segment, while premium smartphones remain relatively resilient.
Despite a 3% YoY decline, Samsung still dominated with 23% market share. Apple came second with 22%, followed by Xiaomi with 12%, OPPO (with realme and OnePlus) with 9%, and vivo with 8%.
Counterpoint says that the smartphone market will remain challenging towards the end of 2026.