Boosted by the new Galaxy S26, Samsung Electronics topped the global smartphone market in the first quarter, overtaking Apple. It regained the No. 1 spot just one quarter after ceding it to Apple in the fourth quarter of last year thanks to the iPhone's new-product effect.
According to market research firm Omdia on the 13th, in the first quarter Samsung Electronics ranked first with a 22% share (by shipments). Apple was second with a closely trailing 20% share. They were followed by China's Xiaomi (11%), Oppo (10%), and Vivo (7%).
Samsung Electronics captured the market lead in the first quarter on the strength of robust preorders for the Galaxy S26 series. Omdia said, "Preorders for the Galaxy S26 increased by more than 10% worldwide compared with its predecessor, the Galaxy S25 series."
The gap with Apple is 2 percentage points (P). Omdia said, "Despite supply disruptions in some regions, Apple continued to post strong results thanks to stable pricing and steady demand for the iPhone 17 series."
Although a market slowdown had been expected due to rising prices for memory, a key smartphone component, the global smartphone market grew 1% year over year in the first quarter, contrary to expectations. However, only Samsung and Apple increased their shares compared with a year earlier. Xiaomi's share fell from 14% in the first quarter of last year to 11% in the first quarter of this year. Oppo (11%→10%) and Vivo (8%→7%) also lost ground.
Sanyam Chaurasia, a senior analyst at Omdia, said, "As (component) expense pressures intensify, manufacturers have little choice but to raise prices," and added, "Price increases are occurring across the industry, but the impact is not uniform." The analyst continued, "Companies that focus more on the budget and midrange segments, such as Xiaomi and Transsion, are being hit harder because their margins are low and their pricing power is limited, while Apple has largely held prices steady and Samsung is taking a more market-oriented approach," adding, "In addition to price hikes, manufacturers are managing margins through configuration changes, reduced promotions, and channel price cuts."