The Number of Phones Sold in 2026 Has Been Revealed (Who Is Ahead in the Samsung-Apple Rivalry?)
IDC has published data on smartphone sales figures for the first three months of 2026. The best-selling brands have been revealed, and a decline in overall global mobile phone sales has been observed.
In a post we shared with you a few days ago, we saw that the brands with the highest smartphone sales in the first three months of 2026, based on market share, had been revealed. According to those figures, Apple had recorded significant growth thanks to strong sales of the iPhone 17, overtaking Samsung to take the top spot with a 21% share. Samsung, meanwhile, had slipped to second place with a 20% share.
Now, data on sales figures has been released. The figures shared by IDC reveal how many phones were sold worldwide in the first quarter of 2026 and which brands sold the most. IDC’s figures contradict those of Counterpoint. In fact, these figures show that Samsung is ahead of Apple.
According to IDC data, the best-selling mobile phone brands and sales figures so far in 2026
1- Samsung – 62.8 million units
2- Apple – 61.1 million units
3- Xiaomi – 33.8 million units
4- OPPO – 30.7 million units
5- Vivo – 21.2 million units
6- Other brands – 80.1 million units
According to the data, Samsung sold 62.8 million phones in the last three months, securing a 21.7% market share. Apple is close behind with 61.1 million units, accounting for a 21.1% share. They are followed by Xiaomi with 33.8 million units and OPPO with 30.7 million units.
A decline in mobile phone sales
General figures have also been released. These show a 4.1% decline in global mobile phone sales compared to the same period last year. Indeed, we see that a total of 289.7 million mobile phones were sold worldwide over the last three months.
