The US smartphone market had a slow start to 2026, with new data from Omdia revealing that overall shipments declined by 3% year-over-year during the first quarter.

According to the report, total smartphone shipments in the US reached 33.4 million units in Q1 2026, reflecting weaker consumer demand, rising component costs, and delayed flagship launches across the industry.

One of the main reasons behind the decline was the unusually strong first quarter of 2025, when smartphone brands aggressively built inventory ahead of import tariffs introduced by the Trump administration. That earlier stockpiling created a difficult comparison point for this year.

The industry is also starting to feel the impact of rising RAM and memory chip prices, which are increasing production costs for manufacturers and contributing to slower upgrade cycles among consumers.

Delayed smartphone launches further affected sales momentum during the quarter. The Samsung Galaxy S26 series, for example, launched roughly a month later than the previous generation.

That delay gave Apple an advantage in the premium segment, as more buyers opted for the iPhone 17 series instead. The lineup reportedly accounted for 70% of Apple’s total shipments during the quarter.

Despite maintaining its leading position in the US market, Apple still experienced a 3% decline in shipments compared to the same period last year.

Samsung remained the second-largest smartphone brand in the country, though its shipments dropped by 5% year-over-year. Even so, the company reportedly saw strong interest in its latest flagships, with pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S26 series increasing by 25% compared to the Samsung Galaxy S25 series.

Motorola was the only major smartphone manufacturer to post growth during the quarter. The brand increased shipments by 18%, largely thanks to strong demand for its updated Moto G series devices, which accounted for more than 70% of Motorola’s total shipments.

Meanwhile, Google recorded a 7% decline as sales of the Google Pixel 10 series remained flat. The earlier release of the Google Pixel 10a was reportedly not enough to offset weaker flagship performance.

The report also highlighted growing polarization within the US smartphone market. Budget smartphones priced below $300 actually grew by 8%, while premium devices above $800 declined by just 1%, showing that consumers at both ends of the market remain relatively resilient.

Mid-range smartphones suffered the biggest losses. Devices priced between $300 and $599 dropped by 19%, while the $600 to $799 category declined by 6%.

Looking ahead, analysts expect the US smartphone market to shrink by another 4% across the full year. Omdia believes stronger partnerships with carriers and more aggressive promotional offers will become increasingly important as brands attempt to reduce the impact of rising hardware costs on consumers.