Global smartphone shipments fall record 22% in Q3 2026, IDC says
Apple closed to within 500,000 units of Samsung as worldwide smartphone shipments posted their steepest year-over-year decline on record, according to preliminary IDC data.
Global smartphone shipments fell 22% year over year in the third quarter of 2026, a record decline, according to preliminary data published by IDC. The figures, reported by 9to5mac.com, cover worldwide vendor shipments for the quarter ending in September.
Apple shipped 57.3 million iPhones in the quarter, down 4% from a year earlier — the smallest decline among the top five vendors. Its share of worldwide shipments rose to 23.1%, leaving it second overall and just 500,000 units, or 0.2 percentage points of share, behind Samsung.
Samsung held first place with 57.8 million units and a 22.6% share, down 5.8% year over year. Xiaomi, Oppo and vivo rounded out the top five. Oppo posted the steepest drop of the group at 34.5% year over year.
Memory costs continue to climb
Memory costs have surged roughly 350% since last year and are still rising. IDC recorded a low double-digit sequential increase in the third quarter, a slower pace than the roughly 50% to 100% sequential growth seen in earlier quarters.
Two days before this report, IDC released preliminary results for the Chinese smartphone market showing Apple's share of shipments there rising to 17.8% from 15.8%, even as its iPhone shipments in the country fell 4.3% year over year.
Quick answers
How much did global smartphone shipments fall in Q3 2026?
IDC's preliminary data show a 22% year-over-year decline, which the firm described as a record drop.
How close is Apple to Samsung in worldwide shipments?
Apple shipped 57.3 million units to Samsung's 57.8 million, a gap of 500,000 units, or 0.2 percentage points of shipment share.
Which top-five vendor declined the most?
Oppo recorded the biggest drop among the top five, at 34.5% year over year.