Samsung is world's biggest smartphone brand, even as sales drop by 20% globally

Samsung is currently the world's biggest smartphone brand by shipment volume, according to the latest data publi s hed by Counterpoint Research. The company captured a 23% share of the market to rank number one globally.

In the third quarter (Q3) of 2026, Samsung retained its top position with that 23% global market share. Apple ranked a close second with 22%. Xiaomi was a distant third, managing to ship only 10% of phones globally during the same period. OPPO (9%) and Vivo (8%) ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.

Counterpoint Research

Samsung ranks number one in global smartphone market in Q3 2026

Overall, global smartphone sales dropped by 20% during Q3 2026, which is a troubling sign for the entire industry. Counterpoint Research notes that worldwide smartphone shipments hit a 14-year low during the quarter and prices increased by 20%. This decline is largely due to the extremely high prices of memory chips and processors used in phones and other consumer electronics.

Record-breaking sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series did help soften the blow for Samsung. However, analysts estimate that Samsung's smartphone division (Samsung MX) is still facing losses of around $1.8 billion in Q3 2026, even after increasing the prices of its devices.

Apple and other competitors were also forced to raise prices across their product lineups because of these escalating component costs. In the fourth and final quarter (Q4) of this year, brands are expected to focus on profits, focus on higher-end phones, make production cuts, and reduce phone launches.

Asif Iqbal Shaik - Senior Editor

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First Samsung device: T100

Asif is a computer engineer turned technology journalist. He has been using Samsung phones since 2004, and his current smartphone is the Galaxy S23 Ultra. He loves headphones, mechanical keyboards, and PC hardware. When not writing about technology, he likes watching crime and science fiction movies and TV shows.

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Samsung remains world's biggest smartphone brand as global sales drop 20%

Asif Iqbal Shaik - Senior Editor