Overview
- IDC reported on Thursday that global smartphone shipments fell about 22% year‑on‑year in Q3 2026, marking the largest quarterly decline on record and leaving total shipments near 255.3 million units.
- Memory prices have climbed roughly 350% year‑over‑year because manufacturers are selling more profitable DRAM and HBM into AI and cloud deals, reducing the chips available for phones.
- Samsung and Apple expanded combined market share to around 45% as premium models held up, while lower‑end Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo saw the steepest shipment drops.
- Manufacturers have raised retail prices, cut device specifications, and pulled budget models, which is pushing up average selling prices and lengthening how long consumers keep phones.
- Analysts say the supply reallocation and long-term hyperscaler contracts make a quick recovery unlikely and IDC does not expect industry growth to return before 2028.