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<\/p>\nGlobal smartphone shipments are off to a slower start in 2026. According to IDC\u2019s latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, shipments fell 4.1% year over year in the first quarter to 289.7 million units.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
The market outlook in Q1, 2026<\/p>\n
Samsung returned to the number one spot for the quarter, thanks in part to the demand for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a>. Even with a later-than-usual launch, shipments still rose 3.6% compared to last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n The company also filled the gap with earlier releases in its midrange A series, which helped stabilize volumes.<\/p>\n Apple followed in second place, with the iPhone 17<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oppo came in fourth, with stronger performance in China offsetting weaker international results. Notably, Oppo\u2019s data now also includes Realme. Vivo rounds out the top five, contributing 7.3% of global smartphone shipments.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n In China, total shipments reached about 69 million units, down 3.3% from a year ago. Even there, growth from Huawei and Apple wasn\u2019t enough to offset the broader slowdown.<\/p>\n For more daily updates, please visit our\u00a0News Section<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stay ahead in tech!\u00a0Join our\u00a0Telegram community<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0sign up for our daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0top stories!\u00a0\ud83d\udca1<\/p>\n![\"Samsung-Galaxy-S26-Ultra-vs-iPhone-17-Pro-Max-in-real-life\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Samsung-Galaxy-S26-Ultra-vs-iPhone-17-Pro-Max-in-real-life.jpg\")
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