Global smartphone shipments are off to a slower start in 2026. According to IDC’s latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, shipments fell 4.1% year over year in the first quarter to 289.7 million units.
The drop effectively ends a ten-quarter streak of growth that began around mid-2023. And we are all probably aware of the reasons. Supply constraints tied to storage components and rising costs. Both of these are expected to continue putting pressure on the market.
The top two companies still posted growth. Samsung and Apple were the only vendors among the global top five to record year-over-year gains.
The market outlook in Q1, 2026
Samsung returned to the number one spot for the quarter, thanks in part to the demand for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Even with a later-than-usual launch, shipments still rose 3.6% compared to last year.
The company also filled the gap with earlier releases in its midrange A series, which helped stabilize volumes.
Apple followed in second place, with the iPhone 17 series seeing particularly strong demand in China. The company recorded more than 30% growth in the mainland, contributing to a 3.3% increase globally. That said, IDC notes that supply disruptions and weaker channel support in some regions kept that growth in check.
For the rest of the top five, things were a bit more muted. Xiaomi held onto third place despite posting the largest decline among the group.
Oppo came in fourth, with stronger performance in China offsetting weaker international results. Notably, Oppo’s data now also includes Realme. Vivo rounds out the top five, contributing 7.3% of global smartphone shipments.
Outside the top tier, there were a few bright spots. Honor, along with Lenovo (through Motorola) and Huawei, all managed to grow. Honor stood out with a 24% year-over-year increase, which IDC says is due to its overseas expansion.
In China, total shipments reached about 69 million units, down 3.3% from a year ago. Even there, growth from Huawei and Apple wasn’t enough to offset the broader slowdown.
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