Apple Bucks Smartphone Slump With Production Surge

[MacRumors]

A new report from TrendForce claims Apple's iPhone production surged 19.7% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026, even as the broader global smartphone market contracted 1.7% over the same period.

According to TrendForce, Apple produced approximately 60.2 million iPhone units in the first quarter, placing it second among global smartphone brands. Samsung retained the top spot with approximately 62.6 million units, a 2.3% year-over-year increase. TrendForce attributes Apple's strong output partly to the launch of the iPhone 17e, in addition to ongoing production ramp-up for the broader iPhone 17 lineup.

The figures reflect Apple's relative resilience in a market increasingly burdened by rising memory component costs. TrendForce says Apple is better positioned than most competitors to absorb those higher costs without sacrificing profitability, and suggests the company is more likely to prioritize market share growth during the current downturn as it lays the groundwork for its expanding software and services business. Apple is one of the few major smartphone brands that has not raised prices in response to the memory price surge.

The picture is considerably grimmer elsewhere. Chinese brands Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo ranked third through fifth globally with 29.5 million, 26 million, and 22 million units respectively, with TrendForce warning that all three face significant uncertainty around their 2026 production plans as surging memory costs weigh on profitability. Transsion, which ranked sixth at approximately 19.8 million units, is said to be particularly exposed given its heavy concentration in entry-level and budget segments where margins are already thin.

Looking ahead, TrendForce forecasts global smartphone production will decline approximately 16.2% year-over-year to 1.051 billion units across 2026. The firm warns that figure could worsen if memory prices remain elevated and brands are forced to pass costs on to consumers through repeated retail price increases.

Article Link: Apple Bucks Smartphone Slump With Production Surge

 

[I7guy]

In the midst of bad news regarding products requiring memory, Apple seems to rise above. The supply chain genius of Tim Cook?

 

[CEmajr]

I think it's safe to say at this point that the smartphone market is Apple's pie and then everyone else is fighting for scraps. A position well earned since they pretty much invented the modern smartphone that all these current devices are based on.

 

[MR-LIZARD]

I know that there’s a lot in play here with many nuances across devices or short term effects, but it seems to be two news stories that are perpetual:

1) Apple has had to cut back production of X due to lack of demand.

2) Apple has manufactured the most amount of X ever due to high demand.

 

[subjonas]

It's crazy how many iPhone 17 Pros I see everywhere I go. EVERYONE has one.

 

[killhippie]

Oddly, I hardly ever see I see mostly older phones.. At the end of the day new iPhones look less premium on the outside but they’re cheaper on the inside, lots of companies are doing it including Samsung and Google because everyone’s trying to cut back and sell AI junk as cheaply as possible.

 

[nateo200]

It's crazy how many iPhone 17 Pros I see everywhere I go. EVERYONE has one.

Yeah I see them everywhere. I remember when the pro phones really were not used by people who were not power users…now I suspect phone financing has been more “generous” by carriers making the financial burden at least appear less. It’s certainly an interesting trend.

 

[svish]

Good for Apple! iPhone 17 series phones are excellent and will definitely sell well all year.