Apple tops Q1 shipments

Apple led global smartphone shipments in the first quarter of 2026, taking the top spot with a 21% share as the broader market contracted. (counterpointresearch.com) Counterpoint Research said Apple’s smartphone shipments rose 5% year over year in the January-to-March quarter, while total industry shipments fell 6%. Reuters reported the downturn was tied to memory-component shortages and weak consumer sentiment. (counterpointresearch.com) (usnews.com) Samsung, which has usually led the first quarter, slipped to second place with a 20% share in Counterpoint’s preliminary ranking. Xiaomi held 14%, while Oppo and Vivo each took 11%. (counterpointresearch.com) Shipment rankings track phones sent into retail channels, not necessarily devices already bought by end users. That makes them a read on vendor momentum and supply-chain execution as much as on consumer demand. (idc.com) (counterpointresearch.com) Apple’s result stands out because the first quarter usually follows the holiday sales peak, when iPhone volumes normally cool and Samsung’s new-model cycle often lifts its share. Counterpoint described Apple’s first-place finish in a first quarter as a first for the company. (counterpointresearch.com) The backdrop was already tilting toward higher-priced phones before this quarter. International Data Corporation said premium vendors Apple and Samsung were the main growth drivers in late 2025, and Apple said on January 29 that iPhone revenue hit an all-time high in its fiscal first quarter ended December 27, 2025. (idc.com) (apple.com) International Data Corporation also said Apple led global smartphone shipments for all of 2025 and posted record-high shipments, helped by the iPhone 17 series and a rebound in China. That gave Apple a stronger base heading into a weaker industry start to 2026. (idc.com) Counterpoint tied Apple’s quarter to strong iPhone 17 demand, while Reuters said the wider market was squeezed by shortages of dynamic random-access memory and NAND flash memory, two core parts used to store and process data inside phones. When those parts get tight, production slows and costs rise. (counterpointresearch.com) (usnews.com) The immediate takeaway is narrower than a victory lap: Apple gained share in a shrinking market, and it did it in a quarter that has historically favored Samsung. The next test is whether that lead holds once rivals push new devices into the middle of 2026. (counterpointresearch.com)