The bragging rights of being the world's top smartphone vendor moves back and forth between Samsung and Apple, largely due to when their new flagships are launched.
With the Galaxy S26 series performing well in the market, Samsung has once again clinched the top spot from Apple.
Apple likely to go right back up in the second half
Samsung picks up the lead in Q1 as its flagship Galaxy S series is launched early in the new year. Apple inches back up in the second half when its new iPhones hit the market. So it's entirely possible that we may see Apple back in the top spot again when its 2026 iPhones are released.
The latest data from Omdia shows that Samsung accounted for 22% of the global smartphone market share in the first quarter of 2026, up 2% from the same period last year. Apple took 20% of the market share this past quarter, up 19% from the previous period.
Samsung will continue to ride out the stable demand for the Galaxy S26 series as well as the interest in its latest mid-range phones. It will also launch new foldable phones in the second half of this year, including a brand new wider Galaxy Z Fold model.
Despite higher component costs and rising prices, the global smartphone market grew 1% year-over-year in Q1 2026. The research firm notes that the market still doesn't fully reflect the total impact of rising memory and storage costs.
As vendors will likely be forced to raise prices further, it's possible that we may see the global smartphone market contract this year. Omdia expects a roughly 15% decline for the entire year.
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