Technology
Global phone shipments fall 20% in third quarter
The Indian Express··4d ago
Global smartphone shipments fell 20 percent on-year to the lowest third-quarter level since 2012, Counterpoint Research said. Memory chip costs and supply shortages pushed manufacturers to raise prices and cut volumes. Samsung led with 23 percent share; Apple reached 22 percent despite lower shipments. Xiaomi shipments fell more than 30 percent, cutting its share to 10 percent.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Higher device prices and scarcer components are likely to keep pressuring price-sensitive buyers, Counterpoint said.
- Analyst Shilpi Jain said consumers are holding phones longer and considering refurbished devices.
- OPPO and vivo each saw shipment declines of more than 20 percent in the quarter.
What's Happening
- Samsung shipments still fell 3 percent from a year earlier even as it kept the top slot.
- Apple's third-quarter share crossed 20 percent for the first time despite a year-on-year shipment decline.
- Counterpoint linked Apple's smaller channel fill to the absence of a base iPhone 18 model versus last year's full iPhone 17 lineup.
Why Supply Tightened
- AI infrastructure projects have cornered memory supplies, lifting component prices for phone makers.
- Vendors are prioritising profitability over volumes and tightening portfolios toward premium devices.
- Counterpoint said the outlook for the rest of 2026 remains challenging.
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