Global smartphone shipments drop 20% in Q3 2026 amid rising memory costs

Global smartphone shipments plunged 20 per cent year-over-year in Q3 2026, reaching their lowest level since 2012 due to memory chip costs and supply shortages.

OEMs passed higher component costs to consumers, pushing global retail prices up by 20 per cent so far in 2026.

Samsung retained the top spot with a 23 per cent market share despite a 3 per cent shipment decline, while Apple reached 22 per cent share.