On June 9, according to the latest research from TrendForce, global smartphone production reached approximately 284 million units in the first quarter of 2026, representing a year-on-year decline of about 1.7%.
TrendForce noted that although memory prices have risen significantly since the second half of 2025, smartphone brands still had inventories of low-cost memory components. In addition, consumer expectations of future retail price increases stimulated demand. As a result, the impact of higher memory prices on smartphone production in the first quarter remained limited.
However, as some brands have depleted their inventories of low-cost memory and the continuous surge in memory prices over several quarters has significantly affected profitability, most smartphone manufacturers have entered a production adjustment phase in the second quarter.
Looking ahead, TrendForce forecasts that total global smartphone production will fall to approximately 1.051 billion units in 2026, a year-on-year decline of around 16.2%.
TrendForce added that under an extreme scenario, if memory prices continue to rise without signs of stabilization and brands are forced to keep increasing retail prices, the annual production decline could become even more severe.
Different brands are adopting different sales strategies. Companies with strong premium pricing power in the high-end market and access to extensive group resources are more inclined to expand their market presence despite challenging conditions, maintaining or even increasing their market share. In contrast, brands focused primarily on the mid-range and entry-level segments are facing both rising costs and intense market competition, forcing them to adopt more conservative production plans.
Samsung ranked first in quarterly market share, with total production reaching approximately 62.6 million units in the first quarter. Supported by inventory build-up for new Galaxy S series models, Samsung's production increased by 7.6% quarter-on-quarter and grew slightly by 2.3% year-on-year.
Apple ranked second, producing approximately 60.2 million units in the first quarter. In addition to production driven by new model preparations, the launch of the iPhone 17e also contributed to output growth, resulting in a 19.7% year-on-year increase.
Among the top Chinese smartphone brands, OPPO, Xiaomi, and Vivo all experienced seasonal declines in production during the first quarter. OPPO produced approximately 29.5 million units, Xiaomi 26 million units, and Vivo 22 million units, ranking third, fourth, and fifth in market share, respectively.
Transsion produced approximately 19.8 million units in the first quarter, remaining largely unchanged compared with the same period last year and ranking sixth in quarterly market share.
