Omdia: Europe's smartphone market grew 2% in Q1, but is expected to fall 12% for the full 2026
33.0 million smartphones were shipped in Europe (excluding Russia) in the first three months of 2026, reports Omdia. This is an increase of 2% compared to the first quarter last year, but there is trouble brewing ahead, say the analysts.
33 million smartphones were shipped in Europe in Q1 2026
First, the good news. Samsung retook its #1 spot with 12.6 million smartphones (+3%). Shipments were weaker as the Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra flagships launched later than usual this year. The Galaxy A57 and A37 were delayed as well. However, the Galaxy A16 4G proved to be quite popular.
Apple fell to #2 due to the timing of its product launch cycle – it peaks in Q4. Even so, the company shipped 8.8 million phones, an increase of 8.8% compared to the year ago quarter, thanks to strong demand for new models like the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Apple’s cheaper offerings including the iPhone 15 and 16e helped in the mid-range segment.
Samsung and Apple swapped places at the top
Xiaomi experienced a 15% drop and only shipped 4.5 million phones in Q1. However, the flagship Xiaomi 17 and 17 Ultra, along with the premium Xiaomi 15T and 15T Pro saw record demand, according to Omdia.
Motorola is improving its fortunes – as it grew in Spain and Portugal, the company saw a 17% increase to 1.9 million units. Oppo grew 9% and shipped 1.3 million units with growth in France, Romania and Poland.
However, Oppo has to watch its back as Honor nearly matched it – the brand grew 60% compared to Q1 last year.
“The average-selling-price (ASP) of smartphones in Europe surged to a record-high level of €580 in 1Q26. This was largely caused by lower availability of devices costing less than €200, which made up an all-time low of just 25% of shipments,” said Runar Bjorhovde, Principal Analyst at Omdia.
The average selling price for a new smartphone in Europe reached a record €580
Despite a better than expected Q1, Omdia remains pessimistic – the analysts forecast a 12% decline in shipments for the full 2026. However, most of that will happen in the second half of the year.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
| 256GB 12GB RAM | $ 977.00 | £ 799.00 |
| 512GB 12GB RAM | $ 1,170.00 | £ 899.00 |
| Show all prices | ||
Apple iPhone 17
| 256GB 8GB RAM | $ 628.27 | £ 664.99 |
| 512GB 8GB RAM | $ 852.33 | £ 848.00 |
| Show all prices | ||
Xiaomi 17 Ultra
| 512GB 16GB RAM | $ 1,234.05 | € 1,249.00 |
| 1TB 16GB RAM | € 1,599.99 | |
| Show all prices | ||
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Samsung led European smartphone market in 2025, Apple and Honor grew the most in the Top 5
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Omdia: Global smartphone shipments grew by 1% in Q1, fueled by supply side push
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IDC: Global smartphone shipments decline by 4% as Samsung leads in Q1
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The iPhone 17 was the best-selling smartphone globally in Q1 this year
Reader comments
- Anonymous
- nyd
These are shipments not sales. Expecting 12% drop for full year means stores are fuuuuull to the brim.
