Counterpoint: Global smartphone chipset shipments down 15% in first half of 2026 | Infinium-tech

Smartphone shipments have been declining for the past few months as memory chip shortage is troubling OEMs. And as you can imagine, other components are being affected as well. Take smartphone chipsets for example. as per latest Counterpoint Research According to the report, global smartphone chipset shipments are set to decline by 15% during the first half of 2026.

The two largest players – Qualcomm and MediaTek – have been worst affected, with an estimated 25% decline in SoC shipments compared to H1 2025. For Qualcomm, the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 model and the rest of its premium options saw limited growth. In MediaTek’s case, low-end 5G chips declined, while the flagship Dimensity 9500 series performed better.

On the other hand, Apple, Unisoc and Samsung all increased their SoC shipments. For Apple, demand for the iPhone 17 series was enough to help drive demand for the A19 and A19 Pro chipsets. Counterpoint analysts have outlined a noticeable shift from 5G MediaTek chips to 4G Unisoc chips in entry-level smartphones. Additional partnerships with Xiaomi for Redmi and Poco smartphones are also boosting Unisoc’s growth.

Looking ahead, Counterpoint estimates that smartphone chipsets will decline by 14% for the year, with SoC shipments in the entry-level market falling by as much as 30% on an annual basis. Memory chip prices are not expected to normalize before H2, 2027.

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