Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) strengthened its position in the U.S. smartphone market during the first quarter of 2026 as analysts at Counterpoint Research said delayed rival launches, stronger carrier performance, and pressure on lower-cost Android brands reshaped industry dynamics.

Apple Outperformed A Weak Smartphone Market

Counterpoint Research noted on Tuesday that Apple's U.S. iPhone sales volume rose 1.3% year over year in the first-quarter of 2026, while the broader U.S. smartphone market declined 5.7%.

The firm said Apple's market share by volume increased 4% year over year as Android device sales dropped 14.4%.

Analysts attributed Apple's gains to strong demand for the iPhone 17 lineup, particularly the base iPhone 17 model, as well as lingering demand following supply shortages in late 2025.

Senior Analyst Tyler Graham said Apple also benefited from Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (OTC:SSNLF) delaying the Galaxy S26 launch until mid-March, which temporarily reduced competition in the premium smartphone segment.

Analysts Say Delayed Samsung Launch Helped Apple

Graham said the U.S. premium smartphone market remains highly concentrated among Apple, Samsung, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google, and Motorola, so delays from one major brand can create openings for competitors.

He said Apple capitalized on Samsung's delayed flagship rollout and expanded its share across all three major U.S. wireless carriers during the quarter.

Apple's share grew the most at Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), reaching 77% in the first quarter of 2026.

Counterpoint said the delayed launches of both Samsung's Galaxy S26 and Apple's iPhone 17e also distorted year-over-year market comparisons and contributed to weaker overall smartphone sales.

Motorola And Samsung Gain Ground In Budget Phones

Senior Analyst Maurice Klaehne said weakness in lower-end smartphones reflected broader economic pressure on lower-income consumers, particularly in prepaid channels where tax-season spending failed to boost device sales as expected.

Counterpoint said rising memory costs and shrinking margins pushed smaller brands such as TCL, HMD, Maxwest, Orbic, and Blu under pressure, allowing Samsung and Motorola to gain share in prepaid channels, including Cricket and Metro.

The research firm also said Apple maintained stable pricing on the iPhone 17e while increasing storage capacity to 256GB, a move analysts believe could help Apple attract more users into its ecosystem while prioritizing long-term services revenue growth over short-term hardware margins.

Apple Analyst Outlook

The stock carries a Buy rating with an average price forecast of $312.91. Recent analyst moves include:

  • Wedbush: Outperform (Raises Forecast to $400.00) (May 8)
  • UBS: Neutral (Raises Forecast to $296.00) (May 1)
  • TD Cowen: Buy (Raises Forecast to $335.00) (May 1)

AAPL Top ETF Exposure

  • Direxion Daily Technology Bull 3X ETF (NYSE:TECL): 9.91% Weight
  • Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF (NYSE:NUGO): 9.72% Weight
  • Xtrackers S&P 500 Scored & Screened ETF (NYSE:SNPE): 9.81% Weight

Apple Price Action

AAPL Stock Price Activity: Apple shares were trading lower by 0.27% at $294.00 during premarket trading on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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