Global Phone Shipments Drop, but Apple Positioned for Record iOS Market Share Gain

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) remains in focus as its resilient U.S. smartphone position contrasts with growing pressure across the global handset market from rising memory costs.

Apple shares edged lower in Monday premarket trading, slipping less than 0.5%. Nasdaq futures rose 0.02%, while S&P 500 futures fell 0.11%.

Apple Holds US Smartphone Share

Apple maintained its U.S. smartphone shipment share year over year in the second quarter of 2026, even as volumes eased following the iPhone 17e launch in the first quarter.

Its market share fell four percentage points sequentially, according to Counterpoint Research.

Counterpoint said U.S. smartphone shipments rose 6% year over year as global memory shortages prompted manufacturers to accelerate shipments ahead of further RAM and NAND price increases.

Samsung And Google Gain Ground

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (OTC:SSNLF) increased its market share by three percentage points year over year and four points sequentially as it accelerated Galaxy A17 5G shipments ahead of higher memory costs.

Motorola lost one percentage point of share as prepaid demand remained weak.

Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) unit Google gained one percentage point year over year as Pixel shipments increased and the company secured sufficient memory components from suppliers.

Apple Better Positioned As Global Market Contracts

IDC expects the global smartphone market to shrink sharply in 2026 as soaring memory costs raise prices and pressure lower-end devices.

Apple, Samsung and Huawei appear better positioned to navigate the downturn, while Android shipments are projected to fall 24.3% as manufacturers pull back from less profitable entry-level devices.

Apple shipments are expected to decline just 1.3%, helping iOS reach a record 23.6% market share.

Huawei is also gaining ground in China, while smaller Android brands face greater pressure as the market shifts toward higher prices, fewer units and greater concentration among leading vendors.

Apple Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions

Apple stock carries a Buy rating with an average price forecast of $335.24. Recent analyst moves include:

• Rothschild & Co: Upgraded to Buy (Raises Forecast to $400.00) (Aug. 17)
• Jefferies: Downgraded to Underperform (Lowers Forecast to $263.66) (Aug. 10)
• China Renaissance: Downgraded to Hold (Forecast $280.00) (Aug. 4)

Top ETF Exposure

• iShares S&P 100 ETF (NYSE:OEF): 9.48% Weight
• HCM Defender 100 Index ETF (NYSE:QQH): 9.81% Weight
• NYLI US Large Cap R&D Leaders ETF (NASDAQ:LRND): 9.49% Weight

Significance: Because AAPL carries such a heavy weight in these funds, any significant inflows or outflows for these ETFs will likely force automatic buying or selling of the stock.

AAPL Price Action: Apple shares were down 0.11% at $319.35 during premarket trading on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Photo via Apple