The Android camp is crying! Apple’s iPhone is so good at attracting money that it monopolizes half of the world’s mobile phone revenue

Data for the third quarter of 2026 pointed out that Apple captured up to 50% of the global mobile phone market revenue. (Photo/Reuters)

The global mobile phone market has cooled down, but Apple has become the biggest winner! The latest report from Counterpoint Research pointed out that global smartphone shipments fell by 19% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026. However, driven by the increase in mobile phone prices, overall market revenue bucked the trend and grew by 3%. Among them, Apple is the biggest “money-attracting king”, capturing up to 50% of the global mobile phone market revenue in one fell swoop. This means that for every 100 yuan of mobile phones sold globally, 50 yuan flows into Apple’s pockets.

Apple takes half of revenue, Samsung still dominates shipments

Data pointed out that the global mobile phone market revenue reached US$114 billion in the third quarter, an annual increase of 3%, and the average selling price of mobile phones surged 27% to US$442 (approximately NT$14,000), setting a historical single-quarter high and becoming the key to supporting market revenue.

Among the brands, Apple's performance was the most impressive. In the third quarter, its revenue increased by 17% year-on-year, setting a new high for the same period in previous years. Its revenue market share reached 50%, setting a new record. The average selling price of Apple mobile phones also increased by 19% year-on-year to US$1,031 (approximately NT$33,000), which is more than twice the global average.

Apple mainly benefited from the continued strong demand for the iPhone 17 series and the launch of the new generation iPhone 18 Pro series to drive sales. In addition, the standard version of the iPhone 18 was not launched simultaneously this year, and the prices of some older iPhones were also increased, further pushing up the average selling price. These factors have jointly pushed up Apple's average selling price, allowing Apple to achieve strong revenue growth even in the face of a difficult environment in the overall mobile phone market.

Samsung ranked second with a revenue market share of 19%, and revenue increased by 14% year-on-year; however, in terms of shipments, Samsung still ranked first in the world with a market share of 22%. Samsung's average selling price also increased by 21% year-on-year to US$367 (approximately NT$12,000), mainly driven by the price increase of the Galaxy A series and flagship models such as Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold8.

In terms of other brands, Xiaomi's third-quarter revenue was the same as the same period last year, and it offset the decline in sales by raising prices and shifting to the mid-to-high-end market. OPPO and vivo had a relatively hard time, with revenue falling by 26% and 22% respectively.

The wave of mobile phone price increases is not over yet and may continue to become more expensive in 2027

It is worth noting that the growth of mobile phone revenue does not mean that the brand really makes more money. Counterpoint pointed out that memory costs continue to rise, which is squeezing the profits of various mobile phone brands. Many manufacturers can only respond by raising prices and streamlining product lines. Entry-level mobile phones with thin profits are especially affected. It will become increasingly difficult to buy cheap mobile phones in the future.

Counterpoint predicts that the global mobile phone market revenue may turn into recession in the fourth quarter of 2026. Memory costs will remain high in 2027, mobile phone prices may continue to rise, and shipments may further decline. Cost pressure will not be alleviated until 2028 at the earliest, but even if costs drop, mobile phone brands may not cut prices, but may invest resources in upgrading specifications. Consumers who want to wait for mobile phones to become cheaper may have to wait.