Global Smartphone and PC Shipments Fall as Memory Chip Prices Surge
In the second quarter of 2026 global smartphone shipments declined 6 % year‑on‑year to about 272 million units, while PC shipments fell 4.9 % to 68.2 million units. The drops are linked to a sharp rise in memory‑chip and storage component prices, which have forced manufacturers to raise device prices, restructure product portfolios and shift focus from volume to margin protection.
Samsung remained the world’s largest smartphone seller, shipping 60.5 million units – a 5 % increase that kept it at roughly 22 % market share. Apple shipped 55.1 million phones, holding a 20 % share, but raised prices on its MacBook Neo ($699), 13‑inch MacBook Air ($1,299) and base iPad ($449) in June 2026. To mitigate cost pressure, Apple introduced the “Apple Upgrade” lease programme offering monthly payments of $17.99 for the iPhone 17e, $11.99 for an Apple Watch Series 11 or iPad Air, and $24.99 for a MacBook Air.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) signaled a possible 10 % price increase for its chips in 2027, which could further raise Apple product costs. Across the sector, vendors such as Asus have launched laptops with higher‑capacity memory, reflecting the broader trend of rising component costs that is driving price hikes for laptops, servers, CCTV cameras and other electronics.
Entities: ASUS · Apple Inc. · Consumers · International Data Corporation (IDC) · Omdia · Samsung Electronics · Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. · Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. · Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) · Xiaomi Corp. · global PC market · global smartphone market
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Apple’s shipments grew 13% year‑on‑year in Q2 2026. (Second and third articles)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Lenovo held a 25.6% market share with shipments of 16.6 million units, down 2% year‑on‑year. (Second and third articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Dell’s shipments decreased 6% year‑on‑year in Q2 2026. (All three articles)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] DRAM prices jumped about 110% in Q1 2026 and rose further in Q2 2026, while NAND flash prices rose about 126% in Q1 2026 and also increased in Q2 2026. (First article)
- [● 3 SOURCES] HP’s shipments decreased 8% year‑on‑year in Q2 2026. (All three articles)
- [● 2 SOURCES] ASUS’s shipments grew 4% year‑on‑year in Q2 2026. (Second and third articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Global PC shipments fell 4% year‑on‑year to 65 million units in Q2 2026. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The decline marks the first year‑on‑year drop in PC shipments since Q1 2025. (All three articles)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Apple announced price increases of about 20 % for MacBook, iPad and other products in June 2026. (Apple Inc.)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Rising electronics prices have reduced consumer demand, reflected in lower shipment volumes for smartphones and PCs. (IDC analysis)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Higher‑storage smartphones now cost more than in the previous year. (industry sources)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Major PC brands raised device prices by several hundred to over a thousand yuan in 2026. (industry sources)