Samsung reclaims global smartphone lead as memory crunch reshapes pricing
Samsung retook the top spot with 24% share versus Apple's 20%, aided by restrained pricing and aggressive promotions in India and West Asia plus strong Galaxy S26 sales. A memory-cost squeeze, now up to 60% of budget phone costs, forced rivals to raise prices as shipments fell 11% y-o-y.
Samsung reclaimed global smartphone lead over Apple amid a memory-cost crunch, driven partly by restrained pricing and aggressive promotions in India and West Asia plus strong Galaxy S26 sales, while rivals raised prices.
Why this matters
Samsung's global gain contrasts with its India price hikes, raising the Galaxy M47 5G by ₹7,000-8,000 and lifting device prices as RAM and storage costs surge amid slowing local demand.
Retail-brand signals are accelerating, up +298300% QoQ.