Smartphone: Q1 2026 Negative in the USA, Apple Declines, Motorola Grows (+18%)

The data on the performance of the smartphone market in the USA during the first quarter of 2026 confirms a clear slowdown in shipments, with Apple also finishing the quarter in the negative.

A Negative Quarter

The first quarter of 2026 closed with declining sales for the US smartphone market. In total, 33.4 million units were shipped, reflecting a 3% decrease year-over-year.

Apple remains the market leader with a 60% market share, selling 19.9 million smartphones during the quarter, also down 3%, a figure consistent with the overall market.

In second place is Samsung, which sold 7.9 million units with a market share of 24%. The decline for the Korean company is 5% year-over-year. The big surprise of the quarter is Motorola, which continues to grow. The Lenovo-owned company ended the quarter with a total of 3.6 million units shipped, marking an 18% increase year-over-year. Its market share is now 11%. Motorola is increasingly becoming the third player in the market and the main alternative to Samsung in the Android space, thanks to a constantly growing range of products.

Also noteworthy is the decline of Google, which continues to face challenges even in its domestic market. For the company, sales stood at 0.8 million units, with a market share of 3% and a decrease of 7%.

Fifth place goes to TCL, which reached 0.5 million units sold, down 17% year-over-year, holding a 2% share. Other manufacturers also account for a 2% market share but have decreased by 28%. The US market is considerably less fragmented than the European market, where 'others' make up 12% of total shipments in the first quarter of 2026.