Apple and Samsung almost monopolized the global best-selling smartphone market in the first quarter of 2026, taking nine of the top ten best-selling models in the world. According to data from market research agency Counterpoint Research, the only one to break the monopoly between the two manufacturers is Xiaomi. One of its entry-level models ranked tenth on the list, and the rest were taken by iPhone and Galaxy models.
Specifically, iPhone 17 was the world’s best-selling smartphone in the first quarter of this year, with a single model accounting for about 6% of global sales. The second place is iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the third place is taken by the standard version of iPhone 17 Pro. Apple directly takes the top three. Samsung then took the fourth and fifth positions with the Galaxy A07 4G and Galaxy A17 5G.
Apple released the iPhone 17 series in September 2025, which is generally regarded by the industry as a routine upgrade that is more "toothpaste-squeezing" than a complete generational change, but this has not hindered the market performance of the product. In the second fiscal quarter of fiscal year 2026, which ended on March 28, iPhone business revenue reached $56.99 billion, slightly lower than market expectations, but overall remained at an extremely high level. Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the current problem is not in demand but in the supply chain. He said that "demand is ridiculously hot," but the supply chain has limited flexibility in increasing production capacity and acquiring more components.
In this list of best-selling models, Xiaomi is the only manufacturer that makes it into the top ten and is not Apple or Samsung. The model on the list is the Redmi A5. This phone is also the most affordable product on the list, with a price of roughly a hundred dollars. Counterpoint pointed out that the shortlisting of Redmi A5 highlights that the ultra-low price segment still has a stable and large user base in the global market.
Counterpoint senior analyst Harshit Rastogi pointed out when talking about Apple's performance that iPhone 17 sales performed better than its predecessors, mainly due to several key upgrades, including higher-spec main camera pixels, larger base storage capacity, and a higher screen refresh rate. These improvements make the standard iPhone 17 experience closer to the Pro model, significantly improving the overall price/performance ratio.
As for Samsung, the Galaxy A series became the company’s absolute main sales force in the quarter. The Galaxy A07 4G was not only Samsung’s best-selling phone of the quarter, it was also the best-selling Android model worldwide. This entry-level product features a 6.7-inch display, a 50-megapixel rear camera, and a 5,000mAh battery. The whole machine sells for less than $100, highlighting the strategy of providing "just enough" configurations at a very low price.
Looking forward to the rest of this year, Counterpoint expects that the market share of high-end smartphones will continue to increase against the backdrop that the overall smartphone market is likely to continue to decline. This means that Apple and Samsung’s strong product matrix in the mid-to-high-end and flagship price ranges will continue to consolidate their dominance in the global sales list in the next few quarters, while other manufacturers will compete for a place on the edge of the list through entry-level models with extremely price advantages.