Who shipped phones in Q3 2026
IDC's preliminary worldwide table, datelined 14 October 2026 and posted on its 15 October press-release page, puts global smartphone shipments at 255.3 million units, down 22.0 percent from 327.3 million a year earlier. IDC calls that the highest year-over-year decline of any quarter in its series. Samsung shipped 57.8 million (22.6 percent, down 5.8 percent from 61.4 million). Apple shipped 57.3 million (22.4 percent, down 4.0 percent from 59.7 million). Xiaomi shipped 30.7 million (12.0 percent, down 29.2 percent), OPPO 25.6 million (10.0 percent, down 34.5 percent) and vivo 19.1 million (7.5 percent, down 31.5 percent). Others were 64.8 million. The table is labeled preliminary and subject to change. It counts branded shipments, excludes OEM sales and refurbished units, and treats each company as the parent of the brands it operates.
Huawei and Transsion are tracked members and are not named rows. Nabila Popal of IDC said memory costs have surged approximately 350 percent since last year and are still rising, with the third-quarter sequential increase described as a low double-digit percentage against roughly 50 to 100 percent in earlier quarters. The same release says IDC expects growth to stay constrained through 2027, with any recovery pushed to 2028 at the least. That is an IDC outlook, not company guidance. The public share page, still marked updated 17 September 2026, has not replaced its final second-quarter table of 276.3 million units. That page still forecasts a 16.7 percent shipment decline in 2026 to just over 1 billion units, market value up 6.3 percent to 613 billion dollars, and an average selling price of 581 dollars, up 27.6 percent. Those September figures are an earlier forecast. The October release does not republish them.
China: Huawei grows while the market falls
IDC's China release, datelined Beijing 14 October 2026 and sourced to the tracker of 13 October, says preliminary shipments were about 57.9 million units, down 15.4 percent from a year earlier. The printed columns are share and growth, not a per-vendor unit count. Huawei led at 21.1 percent, up from 15.2 percent, with shipments up 17.3 percent. Apple was second at 17.8 percent, up from 15.8 percent, with shipments down 4.3 percent. OPPO was 15.5 percent, down 17.6 percent, and the note says that row includes OPPO, OnePlus and realme. vivo was 15.3 percent, down 24.9 percent, including iQOO. Xiaomi was 13.8 percent, down 20.4 percent. Honor was sixth at 13.0 percent, down 24.2 percent, and is not a tracked member. Others were 3.5 percent. The table is preliminary.
IDC says higher memory and component costs pushed vendors to raise prices and change specifications, and that buyers kept phones longer. It says Huawei was the only top-tier vendor with double-digit growth, which it attributes to a range of form factors and disciplined price changes. It says Apple's latest phones were received better than expected, and that the shipment decline reflects a lineup without base models this year. That is IDC's reading. IDC says China's market is unlikely to rebound in the fourth quarter of 2026 despite heavy launch schedules, and that shipment pressure is likely to last through much of 2027.
iPhone Duo pre-orders are open
On 20 October 2026 Apple's U.S. shop page was titled Pre-order iPhone Duo and said availability starts on 10.23. An unlocked 256 GB model was listed at 1,999 dollars. The Verge, on 16 October 2026, reported that pre-orders were open ahead of the 23 October release, at 1,999 dollars for 256 GB, in Star White and Night Sky. Pre-order is not a shipment, and neither page gives a unit total. First retail sale is still dated 23 October.
The 17 September share page still forecasts foldable shipments up 12.6 percent in 2026 to 22.9 million units, and more than 17 million foldable iPhones by 2027, about 40 percent of that category. Those remain IDC forecasts. The October component-order dispute is a separate question about October production, and the third-quarter shipment table does not settle it.
What to watch
The next dated commercial test is whether iPhone Duo units are actually sold on 23 October. The public share page still shows the final second-quarter table, so the next reading there is whether that page replaces it with the preliminary third-quarter table or a later final one. Watch whether Xiaomi, OPPO and vivo keep falling at the rates in the preliminary table, and whether Huawei or Transsion appears as a named worldwide row. Honor remains the sixth China vendor in IDC's preliminary table and is not tracked here.
IDC's two October outlooks are not the same document. The China note says a fourth-quarter rebound in China is unlikely and that pressure lasts through much of 2027. The worldwide note says any recovery is pushed to 2028 at the least. Samsung's 57.8 million and Apple's 57.3 million are IDC branded shipments, not those companies' earnings results.
