According to Counterpoint Research, Apple and Samsung were the only major smartphone chip vendors to gain market share in Q3 2026, as global shipments declined 21% year-over-year. Here are the details.
At this point, most 9to5Mac readers are probably familiar with the challenges that smartphone vendors have been facing due to rising memory costs, and how Apple has managed to weather the impact better than many of its competitors.
Over the past few months, many reports have noted that while most smartphone vendors raised prices more than once throughout the year, Apple held off on increasing iPhone prices until September, with the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro series.
Those same reports have been showing the iPhone outperforming the broader market in smartphone, even as the industry experiences a sharp downturn.
That said, Counterpoint Research recently published a report examining how rising memory costs and slowing smartphone demand have affected the global smartphone chip market
According to the report, Apple remained in third place among smartphone chip vendors in the third quarter, with its market share increasing from 17% in Q3 2025 to 21%.
MediaTek still led the global smartphone SoC market with a 28% share (down 6 percentage points year-over-year), followed by Qualcomm with 22% (down from 25%).
After Apple, UNISOC ranked fourth with 13% (down from 14%), while Samsung remained in fifth with an 8% share, up from 6% in Q3 2025. Other manufacturers went from a 4% share to 8%.
Overall, the market saw a 21% decline year-over-year, though the report didn’t disclose how many chips were shipped during the quarter.
Commenting on the numbers, Counterpoint Research Senior Analyst Shivani Parashar said:
“We saw three notable flagship chipset launches in September 2026, based on TSMC’s 2nm process node: Apple’s A20 series, MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600 Pro and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series. These launches are expected to boost premium smartphone SoC shipments in Q4 2026, although volumes are still likely to remain below Q4 2025 levels.”
Looking ahead, Counterpoint expects global smartphone chip shipments to decline 20% year-over-year in 2026, followed by another 3% to 4% drop in 2027. The research firm also expects memory prices to continue rising next year.
During its fiscal Q4 2026 earnings call, Apple described the current memory pricing situation as “unprecedented,” warning that further increases would continue to put pressure on its profit margins in the coming quarters.
To read Counterpoint’s full report, follow this link.
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