Technology 22 Oct 2026

Smartphones fell 22%. Apple fell just 4%

Global smartphone shipments fell 22.0% in Q3 2026, leaving Samsung and Apple just 0.5 million units apart.

Global smartphone shipments fell 22.0% year on year in Q3 2026 to 255.3 million units, the steepest quarterly drop IDC has recorded, as memory costs surged. Apple (57.3M units, -4.0%) and Samsung (57.8M, -5.8%) fell the least, leaving just 0.5 million units between the top two. Xiaomi, vivo and OPPO each fell roughly 29-35%.

• Q3 2026 shipments 255.3M, −22.0% YoY
• Samsung 57.8M (−5.8%), Apple 57.3M (−4.0%)
• Gap between top two: 0.5M units
• Xiaomi −29.2%, vivo −31.5%, OPPO −34.5%

Preliminary IDC data.