According to Counterpoint Research, Apple took about half of all global smartphone revenue in Q3 2026. That’s the highest share for a July to September quarter ever recorded. The interesting bit is that Apple didn’t sell that many more iPhones to get there too, because shipments were nearly flat. The extra money came from buyers paying more for each phone.
Apple is ahead of everyone else combined
Samsung came a distant second with 19 percent of global smartphone revenue, while Xiaomi took 6 percent, OPPO took 5 percent and vivo took 4 percent. Put together, those four brands still made less money from smartphones than Apple did on its own.
The number that explains it all is the average selling price. As per the latest information from Counterpoint Research, the average iPhone sold for a record $1,031 in Q3, which is up 19 percent compared to last year.
Why the average iPhone costs more now
A few things pushed that number up compared to last year. For now, the iPhone 18 Pro models launched at a higher price than the iPhone 17 Pro models. Moreover, Apple didn’t release its comparatively budget iPhone 18 with the Pro models. Anyone buying the new iPhone 18 at launch had no other option than to pay the premium price for the ‘Pro’ models.
Apple also raised the price of its older iPhones in September. So even buyers looking for a cheaper option ended up paying more than they would have a year ago.
Memory prices have also gone up by a lot throughout the industry this year, not just the smartphone market. Apple has the pricing power to absorb those costs and still protect its margins, while most Android brands don’t, which leaves them with a choice between cutting specs and earning less on every phone.
Apple doesn’t need to sell more
This is how Apple works now. It doesn’t need to sell more iPhones when each one it sells brings in more money. It’s the same approach behind the budget MacBook Neo student price going up again.
The same pattern shows up on the iPad as well, as iPad shipments fell by 27.5 percent in the same quarter, and Apple still leads the tablet market by a wide margin.
In my opinion, this only works as long as people keep paying. Apple’s loyal users will keep upgrading, but if prices keep climbing, first-time buyers could start looking at cheaper Android phones instead. That’s a slow problem, but it’s a real one.
What to watch next
The next thing to watch is the base iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2. If they arrive next spring at a lower price, Apple’s average selling price could come back down. Apple will still make more money than anyone else, just not quite at this record level.
