Pixel and Nothing were something special during Q1 2026
Google and Nothing smartphones performed strongly, bucking the trend during the first quarter of 2026.
Nothing and Pixel both enjoyed an outstanding first quarter. | Image by Nothing
We've already showed you data from Omdia showing you that Samsung and Apple swapped places from Q4 2025 to Q1 2026. Samsung took over the top spot from Apple with a 22% global market share of smartphone shipments, while Apple's 20% share had it drop back to take the Avis position (number 2 but tries harder).
Counterpoint's data says that Apple did something during Q1 it had never done before
Counterpoint has a different story as its data showed that Apple, for the first time, led the smartphone market in shipments during the first quarter with a 21% market share. Samsung was next with a 20% slice of the global smartphone shipments' pie. During last year's first quarter, Samsung was number one, beating Apple in market share by the thinnest of margins, 20% to 19%.
Counterpoint said that Apple's turnaround was led by strong demand for the iPhone 17 series, and an aggressive trade-in program. The company saw its shipments rise 5% year-over-year. Samsung's annual smartphone shipments fell 6% keeping its global share flat at 20%.
The iPhone's position as an ultra-premium device shielded it from higher component prices said Counterpoint
Despite memory shortages leading to price hikes for DRAM chips, and increasing prices for NAND memory, Counterpoint said that Apple was somewhat protected from these higher prices due to the iPhone's position as an ultra-premium device. Also helping Apple was its "highly integrated" supply chain and Counterpoint had Apple taking the top spot in shipments during Q1.
Would you buy a Nothing Phone?
We interrupt the top five countdown for one second to tell you about two brands outside the top five that had an extremely strong first quarter. The Pixel continues to take advantage of its AI-related features and saw an annual 14% gain in Q1 shipments.
New Pixel 10 features like the Magic Cue, which understands the context of what is on your Pixel screen to deliver information to you before you ask for it, is helping drive the growth. Replacing the Google Assistant with Gemini AI makes my older Pixel 6 Pro the smartest device in any room I'm in.
Nothing surely did something during Q1
The Pixel 11 series will be released this summer powered by the Tensor G6 application processor (AP). There are rumors about an improved face unlock system that will reportedly be more secure.
Nothing was something else during the first three months of the year, with a solid 25% improvement in first quarter shipments. Counterpoint cited Nothing's unique design, its position as a niche brand albeit with growing brand awareness by consumers.
Apple, for the first time ever, had the highest global smartphone shipping market share during a first quarter.| Image by Counterpoint
They say lightning doesn't strike twice, but Nothing CEO Carl Pei, who helped found OnePlus, has apparently created a lasting smartphone brand twice. And as I always say (and have mentioned to him once) his "X" handle of "getpeid" has to be one of the wittiest X usernames of all time.
Back to the countdown, Xiaomi was third and as its smartphone shipments worldwide declined by a whopping 19% year-over-year, its first quarter market share dropped to 12% from 14% during 2025's initial quarter. As the company is known for its lower prices, the DRAM chip shortage and the component's higher prices have really hurt Xiaomi.
The iPhone Ultra could play a huge role in jacking up foldable shipments this year
Oppo's phone shipments declined 4% for the January, February, and March period as its market share remained static for the quarter at 11%. Fellow Chinese phone manufacturer vivo saw its smartphone deliveries fall during Q1, but only by 2%. Its share of the global smartphone market actually rose by 1 percentage point from 7% to 8%.
2026 is not expected to be a great year for smartphone manufacturers. We should see some strength in the foldable market as the first foldable iPhone is supposed to be introduced this September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Some analysts expect the arrival of the long awaited foldable iPhone Ultra to pump up foldable shipments by as much as 30% in 2026. Many will be looking to see if Apple and its display supplier Samsung were able to finally get rid of the crease that marred the look of the foldable internal displays to date.
Overall, Q1 global smartphone shipments declined 6% on an annual basis according to Counterpoint. Keep in mind that the figures provided by Counterpoint were Sell-In shipments, which refers to shipments sent to retailers and carriers.
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