Updated
Updated · counterpointresearch.com · Aug 26
iPhone 17 Captures 6% of Q2 Global Sales as Top 10 Models Reach 26%
Updated
Updated · counterpointresearch.com · Aug 26

iPhone 17 Captures 6% of Q2 Global Sales as Top 10 Models Reach 26%

3 articles · Updated · counterpointresearch.com · Aug 26

Summary

  • Counterpoint said the iPhone 17 was the world’s best-selling smartphone in Q2 2026, taking 6% of global unit sales, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pro ranked second and third.
  • An 11% overall market decline and a global RAM shortage pushed brands toward premium and key volume models, lifting the top 10 smartphones’ combined share to 26%—up 2% year over year and the highest for a June quarter.
  • Apple and Samsung each placed five models in the top 10; Apple’s unit sales rose 5% year over year, helped by stronger demand in India, Japan, MEA and nearly doubled iPhone sales in South Korea.
  • Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra was the best-selling Android phone and the first ultra-premium Android model to lead June-quarter Android sales, aided by a later launch and accounting for more than half of S26 series sales.

Insights

How did a global tech crisis secretly help Apple and Samsung dominate the smartphone market in 2026?
Can rising Chinese tech giants break the historic Apple and Samsung duopoly before the premium market peaks?
With memory shortages threatening the industry until 2027, will affordable smartphones soon become a thing of the past?