--- title: "iPhone 17 Holds the Number One Spot Worldwide, While Samsung Narrows the Gap: Top 10 Smartphones of Q2 2026" description: "According to Counterpoint Research, in Q2 2026 Apple held its lead on the global smartphone market, taking five spots in the top 10. Samsung is narrowing the gap thanks to the Galaxy S26 and A series, while Xiaomi dropped out of the top ten." date: 2026-08-27T10:18:11.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/iphone-17-galaxy-s26-top-10-smartphones-q2-2026 tags: [smartphones, apple, samsung, iphone-17, galaxy-s26, counterpoint-research] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # iPhone 17 Holds the Number One Spot Worldwide, While Samsung Narrows the Gap: Top 10 Smartphones of Q2 2026 ![iPhone 17 and a Samsung Galaxy flagship on dry grass — leaders of the Q2 2026 global smartphone ranking](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/27/iphone-17-i-galaxy-s26-v-top-10-smartfonov-ii-kvartala-2026/iphone-17-i-galaxy-s26-v-top-10-smartfonov-ii-kvartala-2026-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Apple took five positions in the top 10 best-selling smartphones worldwide for Q2 2026 - The base iPhone 17 grew to 6% of global sales share, up from 4% for the iPhone 16 a year earlier - The Galaxy S26 Ultra took fourth place, becoming the most popular Android flagship - The Galaxy A series dominates the mid-range and budget segments, while Xiaomi failed to make the top 10 Analytics firm Counterpoint Research has published its latest report on the best-selling smartphones on the global market. For the second quarter of 2026 (April–June), Apple retained its key positions in the ranking, while Samsung demonstrated a notable narrowing of the gap thanks to its flagship Galaxy S26 series and affordable A-line devices. As a result, the battle for leadership between the two biggest players has become even more intense, although the top spot remains firmly held by the base iPhone 17 model. ### iPhone 17 Strengthens Its Lead According to the experts, the base iPhone 17 model showed significant growth in market share compared to last year's iPhone 16 figure. The base iPhone 17 captured 6 percent of total global sales, whereas the iPhone 16 in the same period last year held only 4 percent. Analysts attribute this growth to a key display upgrade: instead of the previous 60 Hz, the new base model uses a 120 Hz refresh rate OLED screen, making the device more appealing to the mass market. ### Five Apple Models in the Top Ten In total, Apple secured five positions in the top ten best-selling smartphones. In addition to the leading base iPhone 17, the top 10 included the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, the more affordable iPhone 17e, which took seventh place, and the iPhone 16, which landed in tenth position. Such concentration of models from a single brand at the top of the ranking underscores the breadth of the company's product line and its ability to cover different price segments. ### Samsung Narrows the Gap Unlike last year, the Xiaomi brand did not make the top 10 this time, which allowed Samsung to reinforce its position. In the premium segment, the Galaxy S26 Ultra took fourth place in the ranking, sitting right behind the iPhone 17 Pro, while the more compact Galaxy S26 model came in ninth. Absolute dominance in the budget and mid-range classes is held by the Galaxy A series: the most popular device during the April–June period was the Galaxy A07 4G, followed by the Galaxy A17 5G and Galaxy A17 4G. Notably, despite its modest technical specifications — a 720p+ LCD display and a MediaTek Helio G99 processor — the Galaxy A07 4G model received a guarantee of six full Android operating system updates, which is a unique offer for its price category. The quarter's outcome was Apple retaining its status as the leader of the global smartphone market while Samsung's competitive position strengthened. The absence of Xiaomi from the top ten further shifted the balance in favor of the Korean brand, which now relies on both its flagship and mass-market lines. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [iPhone or Galaxy: which smartphones are bought most often in the world](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/iphone-chi-galaxy-ki-smartfoni-naychastishe-1787820264.html) - Первичный пересказ отчета Counterpoint Research: доли iPhone 17 (6%) и iPhone 16 (4%), пять моделей Apple в топ-10, позиции Galaxy S26 Ultra и серии A, отсутствие Xiaomi. - [Counterpoint: iPhones took five spots in the top 10 most popular smartphones of Q2 2026](https://rozetked.me/news/47981-counterpoint-iphone-zanyali-pyat-mest-v-desyatke-samyh-populyarnyh-smartfonov-ii-kvartala-2026-goda) - Подтверждает факт пяти позиций Apple в первой десятке по итогам II квартала 2026 года. - [iPhone 17 leads in sales worldwide. No one has yet managed to dislodge it from first place](https://www.iphones.ru/iNotes/iphone-17-lidiruet-po-prodazham-vo-vsem-mire-do-sih-por-nikomu-ne-udalos-sdvinut-ego-s-pervogo-mesta) - Подтверждает статус iPhone 17 как лидера мирового рынка продаж. - [Galaxy S26 Ultra becomes the most popular Android smartphone in the world — but the iPhone 17 remains the market leader](https://rb.ru/news/galaxy-s26-ultra-stal-samym-populyarnym-android-smartfonom-v-mire-no-liderom-rynka-ostalsya-iphone-17/) - Подтверждает четвертое место Galaxy S26 Ultra как топ-Android-модели при общем лидерстве iPhone 17. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Which smartphone was the best-selling in the world in Q2 2026? **A:** The leader of the global market, according to Counterpoint Research, was the base iPhone 17, which took first place and increased its share to 6%, up from 4% for the iPhone 16 a year earlier. ### Q: How many Apple models made the top 10? **A:** Five: the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17e (7th place), and iPhone 16 (10th place). ### Q: Which Samsung smartphones made the top ten? **A:** The Galaxy S26 Ultra took 4th place, the Galaxy S26 took 9th, and the Galaxy A series (A07 4G, A17 5G, A17 4G) leads in the mid-range and budget segments. ### Q: Why is the Galaxy A07 4G considered special for its class? **A:** Despite its modest specifications (720p+ LCD and MediaTek Helio G99), the model received a guarantee of six full Android updates, which is unique for its price category.