The global smartphone market in early 2026 turned out to be increasingly top-heavy. According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, the iPhone 17 was the best-selling smartphone globally in Q1 2026, grabbing 6% of all global smartphone sales on its own.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro followed right behind in second and third place, meaning Apple owned the top three spots on the list entirely.
Senior analyst Harshit Rastogi says the iPhone 17 outperformed its predecessor by a clear margin. The base model got meaningful upgrades this time with more storage out of the box, a higher-resolution camera, and a faster screen refresh rate. This narrowed the gap between the standard and Pro models, which seems to have pushed more buyers toward the cheaper option.
Sales in China and the US grew by double digits year-over-year. South Korea was even better, where sales tripled compared to the previous generation.
Android’s budget segment dominates the market
On the Android side, Samsung dominated with five spots in the top ten, all from its Galaxy A budget lineup. The Galaxy A07 4G was the top-selling Android phone of the quarter, driven by demand in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Samsung is now promising six years of software updates on these devices.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra didn’t crack the top ten, though Samsung says it opened stronger than the S25 Ultra did.
The only Chinese brand to make the list was Xiaomi, with the Redmi A5 landing at number ten. It’s also the cheapest device on the list and has held steady demand in emerging markets since launch.
All in all, the top ten phones accounted for 25% of all global smartphone sales, the highest share ever recorded for a first quarter. Two things explain that: iPhone 17 demand stayed strong, and a memory chip shortage pushed up component costs, which squeezed Android manufacturers trying to compete at lower price points.
Counterpoint’s Karn Chauhan says the overall phone market is likely to shrink in 2026, with the budget segment taking the hardest hit. Manufacturers seem to know this already, as most are shifting resources toward higher-end products rather than racing to sell volume.
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