Cheap smartphones are dead. Apple doesn’t care

This is a global trend

IDC tells us to expect a record 16.7% decline in smartphone shipments in 2026 because of the memory crisis, which is pushing smartphone ASPs up 27.6% this year to around $581. (The researchers also expect Apple to inject some growth into this market when it introduces its folding iPhone). They point out also that while total shipments are falling, the value of the market is increasing — because prices are climbing. And they note that while low-end Android devices are disappearing, the premium end of the smartphone market (itself dominated by Apple and Samsung) remains more resilient.

“The era of the cheap smartphone has ended,” said Francisco Jeronimo, IDC vice president for worldwide client devices. “From here, the winners will be the vendors with the scale and supply leverage to hold demand at prices consumers have never had to pay before.”

The picture is much starker on a platform basis, as Android devices account for almost the entire market decline; its share fell seven percentage points in a single year. Meanwhile, iOS share grew almost four percentage points to a record-high 23.6%.

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AndyC

Andy Curtis is an award-winning security consultant, researcher and public speaker. He has been working in the computer security industry since the early 1990s, having been employed by state and federal government, leading healthcare and banking providers across three continents. He has given talks about computer security for some of the world’s largest companies, worked with law enforcement agencies on investigations into hacking groups, and is a regular voice on TV and radio explaining IT security threats.

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