Samsung has regained its lead in the global smartphone market in the first quarterof 2026. The rise, which was broken in a report midweek by tracking firm Omdia, disclosed that Samsung was also the only Android brand in the top five to see yearly sales growth.
According to the report, technology brand and a former Huawei subsidiary specialising in smartphones, tablets, and wearables, HONOR, was not in the top five, but was announced as the fastest-growing manufacturer in the top 10. Samsung surrendered its lead of the global smartphone market to Apple in Q4 2025, but the company usually retakes the lead in the following quarter.
New data has indeed revealed good news for Samsung, but bad news for other top Android brands. Tracking firm Omdia posted its Q1 2026 global smartphone market share report, and Samsung was the top manufacturer for the quarter.
The Korean manufacturer accounted for 22 percent of shipments compared to Apple’s 20 percent share. Samsung and Apple also saw year-on-year growth of eight percent and 10 percent, respectively. Unfortunately, there’s bad news for other manufacturers in the top five as they all recorded yearly declines.
Xiaomi ranked third in Q1, but saw a massive 19 percent decline in shipments. Meanwhile, fourth-placed OPPO was just a percentage point behind Xiaomi, but saw a six percent yearly decline. Finally, vivo was ranked fifth but saw shipments dip by seven percent year-on-year.
Xiaomi’s slide in particular was blamed on the fact that over half of its shipments were sub-$200 devices. Indeed, budget phones are more exposed to skyrocketing component prices, as we’ve seen with the AI-induced RAM crisis.
However, the fastest growing manufacturer in the top 10 was HONOR. The firm was only ranked seventh but saw yearly growth of 19 percent. Omdia attributed this performance to growing sales in the Middle East and Africa, although the brand saw shipment declines in its home market.
In any event, I’m keen to see what the rest of the year holds for Xiaomi and OPPO in particular. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if OPPO passes Xiaomi for third place in the second quarter.
