While the global smartphone market shrinks for the ninth consecutive week, Apple is moving in the opposite direction: iPhone sales are increasing by double digits. Only one other manufacturer has managed this feat – the rest of the industry is struggling with a slump in demand that even large discount campaigns cannot halt.
The smartphone market is in deep crisis, but not all manufacturers are feeling the effects equally. According to a recent report by Counterpoint Research, global smartphone sales fell by eight percent year-on-year in the week of May 11-17, 2026 – marking the ninth consecutive week of decline. Apple is bucking this trend, and this isn't the first time it's done so, as the shrinking market hasn't slowed Apple's growth in the past.
Apple and Huawei defy the downward trend
During the same period in which the overall market declined by eight percent, iPhone sales rose by ten percent year-over-year. Huawei was the only other manufacturer to see growth, and even more significantly: by 23 percent. All the other major vendors recorded declines.
| Manufacturer | Year-on-year change |
|---|---|
| Huawei | +23 % |
| Apple | +10 % |
| Samsung | -1 % |
| Oppo | -10 % |
| Xiaomi | -17 % |
| Vivo | -19 % |
| Other brands (total) | -19 % |
| Total market | -8 % |
The gap between the two top performers and the rest of the field is particularly striking. While Samsung fared relatively well with a decline of just one percent, sales at Xiaomi and Vivo plummeted by 17 and 19 percent, respectively. The combined category of all other brands also shrank by 19 percent.
The lack of storage capacity as a hindrance
Even traditional demand drivers have recently failed to take effect: According to Counterpoint, not even advertising campaigns in China and India could revive consumer sentiment. The reason lies in a market-wide memory shortage that is putting the entire industry under pressure. The scarcity of DRAM and NAND memory chips, fueled by the enormous demand from AI data centers, is driving up production costs and forcing manufacturers to take countermeasures.
Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint, assesses the situation as follows: It is now clear that memory prices will remain high for the remainder of 2026, which is why manufacturers have adjusted their strategies. To cope with the pressure, they are relying on a mix of price increases, a realignment of product launches, and aggressive cost optimization - even to the point of cutting features on devices - as well as more efficient sales management. Apple is also affected: Tim Cook has already confirmed higher prices due to the RAM shortage.
Why Apple is setting itself apart
Counterpoint attributes the significant gap between Apple and Huawei on the one hand, and the rest of the market on the other, to differences in supply chain stability and pricing capabilities – factors that are becoming increasingly pronounced. Those who have their component supply under control and can strategically manage price markups fare better in a challenging environment.
For Apple, this is not an anomaly, but rather the continuation of a trend: Back in the first quarter of 2026, Apple had already taken the global smartphone lead for the first time in a first quarter, a traditionally weaker period. The focus on the premium segment and the strong user loyalty to the ecosystem are proving particularly beneficial during the crisis.
The gap is widening
Current figures reveal a market operating at two speeds. While price-sensitive segments are suffering from rising costs, Apple and Huawei are decoupling themselves from the general downturn. Should the storage crisis persist as expected well into 2026, this gap is likely to widen rather than narrow. However, it remains unclear how Apple will implement its announced price increases: Tim Cook has so far declined to comment on whether the surcharges will apply to current models or only with the next product releases. (Image: Shutterstock / Wongsakorn 2468)
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