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Apple Leads Q1 Smartphones as Memory Shock Reshapes Phone and PC Markets

Rising memory prices now set pricing and shipment plans for the rest of 2026.

Overview

  • Counterpoint’s Friday report said global smartphone shipments fell 6% year over year in Q1 2026 as Apple took 21% share with 5% growth, marking its first time leading a first quarter.
  • Omdia countered with a slight 1% smartphone uptick driven by channel front‑loading, while it flagged mobile DRAM and NAND memory up about 90% quarter over quarter in Q1 with another 30% rise expected in Q2.
  • IDC estimated global PC shipments rose 2.5% in Q1 on Windows 10 replacements and early buying before price hikes, with EMEA up 7.4% and the Americas down 3.3% as freight and energy costs strained logistics.
  • Counterpoint said Samsung’s phone shipments fell 6% to a 20% share due to a delayed Galaxy S26 rollout and weak entry‑tier demand, while Google Pixel grew 14% and Nothing rose 25% in niche gains.
  • IDC said Apple shipped about 6.2 million Macs, up 9% and ahead of the market, as access to memory chips used for RAM and storage becomes a deciding factor in who can deliver systems this year.