Smartphone Sales Slump, Only These Brands Still in Demand

The global smartphone market continues to face a downturn. A recent report from Counterpoint Research indicates that worldwide smartphone sales have fallen for nine consecutive weeks. Amid this market weakness, only two major brands managed to record significant growth: Apple and Huawei. According to Counterpoint data, iPhone sales rose 10% year-on-year (yoy) during the period of 11-17 May 2026. This positive performance occurred while the global smartphone market experienced an 8% decline. Among the industry’s main players, only Huawei was able to follow in the footsteps of the American giant, with even higher growth of 23% year-on-year. Conversely, several other major brands recorded sales declines. Samsung fell by 1%, followed by Oppo which dropped 10%, Xiaomi slumped 17%, and Vivo plunged 19%. Meanwhile, the combined total of all other brands recorded a sales decline of up to 19%. Counterpoint assesses that various promotional programmes held in China and India have not been able to restore consumer buying interest. This situation occurs amid price increases, adjustments to product launch schedules, and cost-efficiency measures undertaken by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) due to the ongoing memory supply crisis. Counterpoint Research Director Tarun Pathak said smartphone manufacturers are now beginning to adjust their business strategies to cope with the surge in memory component prices. “It is now clear that memory prices will remain high throughout 2026, and OEMs have adjusted their strategies,” he stated. To face this pressure, he continued, they are implementing a combination of price increases, product launch adjustments, and aggressive cost-efficiency measures, including devices that reduce some features and more efficient distribution channel management. According to Counterpoint, the performance gap between Apple and Huawei compared to other players is becoming increasingly visible. This is influenced by differences in supply chain stability and each company’s ability to execute pricing strategies amid difficult market conditions. The report emerged shortly after the CEO confirmed that Apple product price increases would occur due to the RAM shortage hitting the global technology industry. However, Cook has not yet explained whether the price adjustment will be applied to products currently on the market or only to new devices to be announced in the near future.