Jakarta, INTI - The scarcity and rising prices of memory components have changed the landscape of the smartphone industry. Affordable products with thin margins are the most impacted, while devices in higher-end segments with larger margins can still manage the impact.
Smartphone chipset shipments have also been affected. According to a recent report from market research firm Counterpoint Research, shipments of compact Qualcomm and MediaTek chips decreased in the first quarter of 2026.
According to Counterpoint, MediaTek was impacted by shipments in the mainstream and entry-level segments, while shipments in the premium category also decreased slightly. Rather than releasing a new flagship chip, the Dimensity 9500 Plus, MediaTek is said to be leaning towards encouraging device vendors to adopt the existing Dimensity 9500.
Although its market share declined from 38 percent in the first quarter of 2025 to 31 percent this year, MediaTek remains the largest chip manufacturer in the smartphone industry. Meanwhile, Qualcomm saw a decline in chip shipments from 27 percent to 23 percent during the same period, ranking second.
Samsung and Apple’s Chip Shipments
Counterpoint reported that Qualcomm's shipments were impacted by the Samsung Galaxy S26 series. The Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus switched to using Samsung's own Exynos chipset. Meanwhile, Snapdragon 600 and 400 shipments in the entry-level market were affected by the memory component shortage.
Samsung actually experienced an increase in chip shipments from 5 percent a year ago to 7 percent in the first quarter of 2026. In addition to the success of the Galaxy S26 series, Exynos chip shipments were also driven by the mid-range Galaxy A series.
Similarly, Apple's chip shipments increased in the first quarter of 2026. According to Counterpoint, this was due to the launch of the iPhone 17e, powered by the Apple A19 chipset.
A19 chip shipments are predicted to be higher than the predecessor due to the better sales performance of the iPhone 17 series compared to the iPhone 16 series.
Conclusion
The scarcity and rising prices of memory components are putting pressure on the smartphone industry, especially the entry-level and mainstream segments, impacting chipset shipments in the first quarter of 2026. According to Counterpoint Research, MediaTek's market share fell from 38 percent to 31 percent and Qualcomm's from 27 percent to 23 percent due to weakening demand and limited component supply. In contrast, Samsung increased its chipset market share from 5 percent to 7 percent. Apple also recorded an increase in chipset shipments driven by the launch of the iPhone 17e.
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