Samsung remains the world’s biggest smartphone brand by shipment volume in Q3 2026, capturing a 23% share of the global market, according to Counterpoint Research. At the same time, global smartphone sales fell 20% during the quarter, with worldwide shipments hitting a 14-year low and prices increasing by 20%.
Apple ranked a close second with 22% market share in Q3 2026. Xiaomi was third with 10%, followed by OPPO at 9% and Vivo at 8%.
Counterpoint Research says the decline is largely due to the extremely high prices of memory chips and processors used in phones and other consumer electronics.
Samsung’s Q3 performance and losses
Record-breaking sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series did help soften the blow for Samsung, but analysts estimate Samsung’s smartphone division (Samsung MX) still faced losses of around $1.8 billion in Q3 2026, even after increasing the prices of its devices.
