It seems Samsung is overtaking Apple to emerge as the top global smartphone vendor. The right of being the world’s top smartphone vendor hasn’t been steady as it’s always a battle between Samsung and Apple. It’s largely affected by when their new flagships are released.
Thus, with the performance of the Galaxy S26 series in the market, Samsung has gained an advantage over Apple. As Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S series unveiled in the new year, the company gained the lead in Q1. Though, Apple inches back up in the second half when its new iPhones reach the market. That being the case, there’s the likelihood that Apple will return to the top spot again, especially when its 2026 iPhones arrive.
According to the latest data from Omdia, Samsung accounted for 22% of the global smartphone market share in the first quarter of this year, which is up 2% from the same period in 2025. For Apple, it took 20% of the market share this past quarter, which is up 19% from the previous period.
Furthermore, Samsung will also release new foldable phones in the second half of 2026. A brand new wider Galaxy Z Fold model will be part of this release.
Nevertheless, the higher component costs and rising prices didn’t prevent anything. The global smartphone market grew 1% year-over-year in Q1 2026. According to the research firm, the market still doesn’t fully reflect the total impact of rising memory as well as storage costs.
Additionally, there’s the possibility that vendors will be forced to increase prices further. That being the case, there’s likely to be a global smartphone market contraction this year. For the whole year, Omdia expects about 15% reduction.
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