Science & Tech · Gadgets & EVs · 5 hrs ago
Samsung and Apple gain smartphone share as Chinese brands face rising costs
Samsung and Apple now hold 45% of the global smartphone market, up eight percentage points from a year earlier, according to Omdia data for the third quarter.
Samsung leads with 23% and Apple is one point behind.
Higher component costs are squeezing Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, which rely more on lower-priced phones and have less room to raise prices.
Samsung and Apple have stronger supply chains and more ability to pass some costs on to buyers of premium phones.
The global market fell 20% in the third quarter, its biggest decline since 2013.
UBS expects shipments to fall 10% this year and 3% in 2027, while forecasting that Apple will sell 273 million phones in 2027, up 5%.
Samsung and Apple together held 45% of the global smartphone market in the third quarter, up eight percentage points from a year earlier, according to Omdia.
Samsung led with a 23% share, while Apple was one percentage point behind.
Rising component costs, particularly for memory, are putting pressure on Chinese brands including Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo.
The global smartphone market fell 20% in the third quarter, its biggest decline since 2013, according to Omdia.
UBS expects global phone shipments to fall 10% this year and 3% in 2027.
- Who
- Samsung and Apple gained market share as Chinese smartphone makers including Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo faced higher costs.
- What
- Samsung and Apple together reached 45% of the global smartphone market in the third quarter.
- When
- The figures refer to the third quarter; the article was published on 23 October 2026.
- Where
- The global smartphone market.
- Why
- Rising component costs, especially for memory, weigh more heavily on Chinese brands selling lower-priced phones.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Omdia reported that the global smartphone market fell 20% and that Samsung and Apple together held 45% share.
The iPhone Duo was scheduled to go on sale officially in Spain.
UBS forecast a 10% decline in global mobile phone shipments for the year.
UBS forecast that the decline in global shipments would moderate to 3%.
- Samsung and Apple combined share
- 45% in the third quarter
- Samsung market share
- 23% in the third quarter
- Apple's gap behind Samsung
- 1 percentage point
- Global smartphone market decline
- 20% in the third quarter
- iPhone Duo monthly production
- About 2 million units, according to Jefferies