Samsung retained its pole position as the world’s largest smartphone vendor in Q3 even as global shipments fell 20 percent year on year to 254.7 million units, marking the weakest Q3 since 2013, according to Omdia.

Rising device prices, constrained memory supply and cautious retail stocking hit demand hardest in emerging markets. On the other hand, North America proved comparatively resilient because of its premium-heavy mix and established operator financing, trade-in and upgrade programmes.

Samsung held on to first place by shipping 57.8 million units, down five percent year on year. Its Galaxy A entry and mid-range lineup helped it stay competitive while rival Android brands contended with memory supply constraints and higher prices.

An August launch of the Galaxy Z8 series, supported by trade-in and upgrade offers, also reinforced Samsung’s top spot.

Apple was close with 56.5 million iPhones, flat year on year despite the wider downturn. Strong demand in China and North America offset weakness in emerging markets, while sustained iPhone 17 demand and advance channel stocking ahead of expected price rises supported volumes.

Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, in September, while deferring the standard iPhone 18 to 2027. The approach extends the iPhone 17’s sales cycle and concentrates holiday-season demand on premium models.

Chinese brands hit hard

Xiaomi remained third with 30.7 million shipments, down 29 percent year on year, after declines of 20 percent in China and 28 percent in India. Price increases aimed at protecting margins weighed on volumes in price-sensitive markets, and the Redmi A7 Pro and Redmi 17 could not fully offset the drop.

Oppo (including realme and OnePlus) ranked fourth with 23.4 million units, while Vivo took fifth with 19.3 million. Both raised prices in core markets as component costs climbed to complicate channel inventory planning.

“Emerging markets, once the backbone of global smartphone volume growth, are now facing the greatest pressure from rising prices,” said Sanyam Chaurasia, Principal Analyst of Omdia.

“Africa recorded the steepest contraction at 39 percent YoY, as rising costs shifted vendors’ focus from aggressive expansion and market share gains toward margin protection and selective shipments, despite underlying demand.”

Currency depreciation, inflation and higher living costs pushed consumers to delay upgrades, buy refurbished devices or, in some lower-income markets, choose feature phones.

Mass-market vendors are now prioritising profitable markets and core portfolios, adjusting memory and storage configurations, cutting product variants and selectively absorbing costs. They are also expanding higher-value ranges to defend profitability.

Tough season ahead

Omdia expects global shipments to fall 12 percent in 2026, with higher prices and limited promotional room likely to dampen holiday demand.

“Beyond rising component costs, vendors face growing inventory risks as they balance existing stock with new product generations,” said Amber Liu, Practice Leader of Omdia.

“Telecom operators and large-format retailers are better positioned to manage higher device prices and working capital requirements. Meanwhile, independent retailers face mounting pressure from slower inventory turnover and shrinking margins, potentially accelerating market exits,” she added.

Omdia forecasts a further, slower decline in 2027 as shortages of high-bandwidth and conventional memory keep costs elevated. It expects vendors to chase revenue from software, services and after-sales offerings, with strong balance sheets, lean inventories and operational efficiency becoming key advantages.