counterpoint

According to the latest data from Counterpoint Research, the Apple iPhone 17 is the best-selling smartphone globally in the second quarter of 2026, accounting for 6% of the total global smartphone shipments; the iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro rank second and third on the list. Apple and Samsung each occupy five positions in the global best-selling smartphone TOP10 list; the top ten models together account for 26% of the total global smartphone sales, an increase of 2% year-on-year. The base model iPhone 17 remains the best-selling smartphone this quarter, with significant upgrades narrowing the gap with the Pro models, supporting sales.Apple's stock price closed down 0.14% on Tuesday and fell 0.23% after hours, with a market capitalization currently reported at $4.52 trillion. For Samsung Electronics, two models from the Galaxy S series entered the top ten; the Galaxy S26 Ultra became Samsung's best-selling model this quarter, improving its ranking by 5 places compared to the previous generation, and it is also the best-selling Android model this quarter; this is the first time a super high-end Android device has led Android sales in the second quarter.

Counterpoint Research predicts that Samsung Electronics will regain its leading position in the smartphone market this year, indicating its stronger resilience against rising memory chip prices. Since the beginning of this year, the shortage of memory supply has become increasingly severe, and Counterpoint expects global smartphone shipments to decline by 14.3% by 2026. Samsung, with its highly integrated supply chain and mature distribution network, is an exception, with expected shipment growth of 0.8%, outperforming other manufacturers.Counterpoint states that the overall smartphone market is expected to decline again in 2027, followed by a recovery the next year. Similar to Samsung, Apple is expected to withstand the pressure from rising component prices, but the agency is more cautious about Apple's outlook. Apart from Samsung, only China's Huawei has established its own hardware supply system, which is expected to maintain significant growth.Counterpoint's chief analyst points out that the key to Samsung's return to the top lies in its internal component manufacturing capabilities, diverse product line, and solid relationships with carriers and retailers. It is expected that leading smartphone manufacturers in China will face greater shipment pressure, and the acceleration of industry consolidation during the economic downturn remains its fundamental forecast.

Market research firm Counterpoint released data indicating that in the second quarter of 2026, the NAND flash memory market by shipment volume saw Samsung, SK Hynix, and Yangtze Memory Technologies holding shares of 25%, 22%, and 14% respectively, marking the first time Yangtze Memory Technologies has entered the top three.However, based on revenue, Yangtze Memory Technologies ranks fifth in the industry, trailing behind Micron and Kioxia. The reason is that its product mix is concentrated on consumer applications, with a relatively low proportion of high-priced enterprise-grade solid-state drives for data centers.

According to Counterpoint Research analysis, if the proposed import ban on Chinese optical modules by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States is implemented, it will primarily impact American cloud providers rather than Chinese suppliers. InnoLight leads the global data center optical module revenue with approximately 27% market share, while Coherent ranks second with about 17%. Chinese manufacturers collectively account for about two-thirds of the global unit supply and approximately 60% of the optical communication module revenue.The analysis points out that Western suppliers like Coherent and Lumentum lack sufficient cleanroom capacity, automated packaging infrastructure, and yield scale in the short term, making it impossible to fill the capacity gap left by Chinese manufacturers within 12-24 months. This could lead to delays in AI cluster deployments by several quarters and increase material costs for cloud providers. At the same time, Chinese module manufacturers rely on high-end 800G/1.6T module revenue from North American hyperscale customers for over 90%, but have achieved partial capacity relocation by establishing factories in Thailand.Counterpoint emphasizes that the optical module supply chain is a highly interdependent system. Chinese manufacturers heavily procure DSP chips from Broadcom and Marvell, as well as lasers and optical chips from Lumentum, Coherent, and Mitsubishi Electric. A forced separation would disrupt the entire ecosystem.

According to Counterpoint Research data, in the second quarter of 2026, the global DRAM market saw Samsung Electronics regain the top position with a 39% market share, significantly rebounding compared to the same period last year; SK Hynix's share fell from 39% in the same period last year to 26%, despite a 214% year-on-year revenue growth; Micron followed closely with a 25% share, only 1 percentage point behind SK Hynix. Counterpoint pointed out that Samsung achieved a rebound driven by the growth in general DRAM demand and the expansion of its share in the HBM sector.General DRAM prices rose significantly month-on-month, while the average price of HBM declined year-on-year due to the drop in HBM3E prices and delays in HBM4 shipments. Changxin Storage saw a 716% year-on-year revenue growth, benefiting from strong domestic general DRAM demand and capacity expansion; Nanya Technology grew by 690% year-on-year, benefiting from the expansion of DDR/LPDDR4/5 supply. Counterpoint predicts that with the shipments of NVIDIA Vera Rubin and AMD Instinct MI455X, HBM4 shipments will significantly increase in the second half of the year, and the improvement in product mix is expected to support a rebound in HBM prices.