Apple Just Hit Its Highest-Ever Q2 Share of the Global Smartphone Market - and Was the Only Big Brand That Grew

In a quarter when the global smartphone market had its worst spring in more than a decade, Apple did two things almost no one else did: it sold more phones than a year earlier, and it did so without raising prices. New data from Counterpoint Research for the second quarter of 2026 (April–June) puts Apple at a record 20% of global smartphone shipments – its highest share ever for a second quarter. It is a small-looking number that says something big about the durability of the iPhone franchise. Here is what the figures show, and why Apple’s result stands out.

Apple in Q2 2026 at a glance

Share: a record 20% of global smartphone shipments – Apple’s highest ever for a second quarter.
Growth: iPhone shipments rose about 3% year-over-year – the only major brand to grow.
Pricing: the only top vendor that did not raise prices during the quarter.
Backdrop: the overall market fell about 11%, its softest second quarter since 2013.
Source: Counterpoint Research Market Monitor, reported July 13, 2026.

1. The Record

Counterpoint’s quarterly tracker measures “sell-in” shipments – phones shipped from manufacturers into the channel. In the second quarter of 2026, Apple accounted for 20% of those shipments worldwide, a record for the company in a second quarter. Apple’s share is typically strongest around the holiday launch quarter, so reaching one-fifth of the entire market in the quieter spring period – months before a new iPhone launch – is notable on its own.

What turns a good result into a genuinely strong one is the direction of travel. Apple’s shipments grew roughly 3% year-over-year, making it the only one of the five largest brands to expand volume in the quarter. In other words, this was not merely a bigger slice of a smaller pie: Apple sold more phones in absolute terms while most of the industry sold fewer.

2. The Q2 2026 Leaderboard

Rank	Brand	Shipment share	Note
1	Samsung	24%	Strong Galaxy S26 demand; strongest YoY growth of the top five
2	Apple	20% (record Q2)	Only major brand to grow shipments (+3%)
3	Xiaomi	12%	Double-digit shipment decline
4	OPPO	11%	Double-digit shipment decline
5	vivo	8%	Double-digit shipment decline

Samsung returned to the top of the global ranking on the strength of its Galaxy S26 line, improved availability, and more aggressive promotions. It is worth remembering that Apple had itself led the first quarter of 2026, powered by iPhone 17 demand – so the top two continue to trade the lead quarter to quarter. Beyond the big two, the quarter was tougher: Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo each recorded double-digit shipment declines. Two brands beat the trend alongside Apple – Google’s Pixel line grew about 16% and Huawei rose about 6%.

3. Why the Market Was Soft – and Why Apple Held Up

The wider backdrop is a supply story, not a demand collapse. The industry is working through a global shortage of DRAM and NAND memory chips, as chipmakers steer capacity toward the booming demand for AI data centers. That has pushed up the cost of a key smartphone component, and many manufacturers responded by raising prices – which cooled sales. Counterpoint pegged overall Q2 shipments down about 11% year-over-year, the softest second quarter since 2013.

Apple’s edge in one line

When input costs rise, the companies that suffer least are the ones with pricing power and loyal customers. Apple was the only top vendor that did not raise prices this quarter, and it still grew – a textbook demonstration of premium-brand resilience and ecosystem stickiness. Buyers who are already invested in iMessage, iCloud, the App Store, and their other Apple devices tend to upgrade regardless of the cycle.

4. What It Signals

For Apple, the quarter is a reminder that the iPhone remains one of the most durable franchises in consumer technology. Growing volume and share in a down market – without discounting – is the kind of result that compounds: it protects margins, keeps the installed base expanding (which in turn feeds high-margin services like the App Store and iCloud), and gives Apple room to keep investing in Apple Intelligence, custom silicon, and new product lines. And with a new iPhone generation expected this autumn, Apple is heading into its strongest season with momentum on its side.

Counterpoint expects the memory-chip crunch to ease only gradually, likely persisting into 2027, and forecasts the full-year 2026 market to be down around 14%. If that holds, the brands best positioned are precisely the ones with the most pricing power and the most loyal customers – a group Apple sits squarely at the center of.

The Bottom Line

Record share: Apple hit 20% of global smartphone shipments in Q2 2026 – its highest ever for a second quarter.
Real growth: iPhone shipments rose about 3% while the overall market fell 11%.
Pricing discipline: Apple was the only top brand that did not raise prices.
Why: resilient premium demand and ecosystem loyalty, against a supply-driven, memory-chip slowdown across the industry.

Sources

Curated by Jerry Cards - jerrycards.com. We research the week’s most consequential tech, science, and business news so you don’t have to. More at jerrycards.com/news.