Android accounted for 75% of global smartphone OS sales in Q2 2026, much ahead of Apple's iOS which stood at 20%. And Huawei's HarmonyOS is at 5%, according to Counterpoint Research. The data covers phones sold from April to June and it comes at a time when worldwide memory shortage is starting to dictate which smartphone people will buy.
Android Leads a Shrinking Market
Before we understand the data, note that these are sales figures and not the installed base that usage-based trackers generally measure. On that basis, Android's 75% market share increased by 2% over the previous quarter, even though it's below the 79% share it held a year ago.
What is noteworthy is that this increase was seen in a shrinking market. Global smartphone sales dropped 11% from a year ago. In fact, in the last three months, smartphone sales dropped by 4%. So far, entry-level and mid-range phones are affected the most, where Android has the lead.
As for iOS, it looks like its market share has slipped. iOS market share has dropped to 20% from 22% in the March quarter and 24% at the end of 2025. But 20% market share is actually the strongest June quarter for Apple.
Its share increases right after the autumn iPhone launch and drop by summer, so the jump from 17% to 20% is significant. The iPhone 17 series and the newly added iPhone 17e helped increase Apple's share. In fact, iPhone 17 was the world's best-selling smartphone in Q2 2026.
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The Picture Changes from Country to Country
In the US, 51% of phones shipped with iOS and 49% ran Android. Apple usually leads by much more in the US and was as high as 69% last year, right after the iPhone launch.
However, we see the opposite trend in India. Here, nearly everyone buys Android, accounting for 91% of sales and Apple stands with a slim 9%. Even then, Apple is slowly gaining momentum in India. Meanwhile, the best-selling Android phone of the quarter was Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Now, coming to China, Apple is not even second here. Android leads at 58%, but Huawei's HarmonyOS has climbed into second place at a record 24%, which is remarkable. And now, iOS is at the third position. HarmonyOS has a global market share of 5% and it comes from China alone.
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Chip Shortage Is Impacting the Smartphone Market
The memory chips that go inside phones have seen significant increase in price as AI firms are buying them in bulk for their data centres. On a cheap phone, memory is one of the priciest components, so budget phones are impacted the most. Expensive iPhones and Samsung flagships can absorb the extra cost much more easily.
Basically, the bottom of the market is being squeezed. Chinese brands are announcing fewer affordable phones and pushing consumers towards costlier phones. Huawei, which buys many parts from local suppliers, has so far dodged the memory crisis.
You can already see it happening in the market. Affordable Android phones now come with less memory and storage for the same money.
And there is no quick fix coming. Analysts at IDC expect 2026 to be the worst year for phone sales. Experts say that prices are unlikely to ease before 2027 or 2028.
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