Apple maintains dominant position in the premium smartphone segment in 2026, increasing its global market share despite growing competition from Chinese brands and industry challenges such as memory shortages and price sensitivity.
Apple continues to dominate the premium smartphone market, holding 65% of global shipments for devices priced above $600 in the first half of 2026, according to Counterpoint Research. That marks a 9% increase from a year earlier, although it is still below the 74% share Apple controlled in 2022.
Counterpoint said the premium tier expanded 5% year over year and now accounts for a record 29% of the worldwide smartphone market. The firm linked that shift to higher memory costs, which have pushed more models into the $600-plus bracket, along with price increases in lower-end phones that are nudging some buyers toward higher-end devices.
Samsung remained a distant second in the premium category with 19% share, while all other manufacturers combined held the remaining 16%. Counterpoint also pointed to the growing strength of Chinese brands in their home market, where buyers are increasingly opting for Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo over the iPhone. Even so, Apple’s global position remains formidable: it ships about 23% of all smartphones sold worldwide and captures roughly 49% of industry profit.
The pressure is likely to intensify in the months ahead. Counterpoint has said Apple is on track for record market shares across smartphones and other product categories in 2026, helped by strong demand for the iPhone 17 line and the expected performance of future models. At the same time, the company faces a more difficult supply environment, with industry-wide memory shortages and continued consumer sensitivity to price. That is helping drive more financing and trade-in offers across the market, including Apple’s own upgrade programmes and Samsung’s new card-linked payment push.
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