The global smartphone market is at its lowest with a slowdown in the second quarter of 2026 amid the rising memory and storage costs. As per new report by the market research firm Omdia, worldwide smartphone shipments fell by 4 per cent year-on-year in Q2 2026, with the ongoing shortage of DRAM and NAND components coming out as one of the biggest reasons behind the decline.
The report states that the increasing demand of memory chips from AI data centres has reduced the availability of components for smartphone manufacturers and is the reason behind higher production costs. And as a result, many brands have increased the prices over the past few months, while others have adopted a more cautious strategy.
Even after the overall market slowdown, Samsung and Apple managed to climb up to the ladder during this quarter. Starting with Samsung, it retained its lead in the global smartphone market with 22 per cent market share. The company also recorded a 2 per cent year-on-year increase in shipments.
The report stated that the company managed to have stable supply, resilient consumer demand and stronger sales in the affordable smartphone segment.
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Apple ranked second with a 20 per cent market share with 16 per cent improvement during the same period last year. As per the report, the iPhone maker delivered its strongest second-quarter performance to date, driven by healthy demand for the iPhone 17 lineup and a steady upgrade cycle.
Chinese smartphone manufacturers, however, experienced a weaker quarter. Xiaomi, including Redmi and Poco shipments, slipped to an 11 per cent market share compared to 15 per cent a year ago.
Oppo, whose figures also include OnePlus and Realme shipments, captured 10 per cent of the market, down by 2 percentage points year-on-year. Meanwhile, Vivo and iQOO together accounted for an 8 per cent market share, compared to 9 per cent in Q2 2025.