Three smartphones in use (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Getty Images
There may be AI, there may be robots, there may be a lot of new battery technology, but one factor will guide the smartphone market in 2026. How will the industry cope with rising prices?
Omida’s latest research on the smartphone market shows a small noticeable rise in the overall market by one percent in the first quarter of 2026. Samsung regained the top spot in manufacturer share from Apple, with Omdia noting increased pre-orders for the Galaxy S26 family compared to the Galaxy S25.
It’s also worth noting Counterpoint Research’s latest numbers on single handsets published this week; the top four positions are occupied by Apple, with Samsung's Galaxy A56 as the leading Android handset.
In addition to measuring two different quarters, both companies highlight the same significant issues on the horizon.
The smartphone story in 2026 will be built on limited supply and rising costs. This was already apparent with the high demand for memory and storage to power the explosion of AI data centres, which need to deliver greater capability and capacity to the market.
Not only will this push up the bill of materials for each smartphone, but costs will be further heightened by the ongoing conflict that has closed the Strait of Hormuz and by the shortage of semiconductor manufacturing capacity.
Omdia states that” Vendors will need to focus on margin protection, tighter portfolios and higher-value opportunities while strengthening brand and channel execution."
Smartphone manufacturers will have to balance their phones' specifications and costs with consumer expectations and broader economic headwinds. The industry has already seen manufacturers raise prices on existing models, and, while not specifically stated, popular smartphone lines have seen lower-than-expected memory or storage specifications.
How smartphone manufacturers address these issues will go a long way toward defining 2026.
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。