Apple surpassed Samsung as the leading smartphone brand in Europe’s carrier channel in the second quarter of 2026, according to Counterpoint Research. A memory price crisis that has crushed the low-end market is credited with the shift, since carriers predominantly sell premium devices on contract.
In the April-to-June period, Apple accounted for 37% of smartphones sold through European carriers, up from 33% a year earlier. Samsung, the previous leader, saw its share slip from 39% to 34%. Sales through carriers fell 4% year over year, compared with an 11% drop in the open market; total sales across all channels declined 8%.
The upheaval in the low end also lifted smaller brands. Vivo posted a 90% year-over-year increase in European carrier sales, while Motorola grew 27%.
Counterpoint analyst Jan Stryjak said: “The collapse of the low-end of the smartphone market so far in 2026 because of the memory price crisis has therefore benefitted the operator channel.”