Android continues to lead the global smartphone market, according to newly published sales data covering the second quarter of 2026. Even as competition from rival platforms tightens, Google’s operating system remains far ahead of the pack worldwide.
Research from Counterpoint measuring smartphone operating system share by sales shows Android accounting for roughly 75% of global smartphone sales. Apple’s iOS follows at 20%, while Huawei’s HarmonyOS makes up the remaining 5%. The figures represent a shift from the same period a year earlier, when Android held 79%. Over the past year, Android ceded 4% to Apple and 1% to Huawei.
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Helps Cushion the Decline
The report attributes part of Android’s 4% year-over-year drop to intensifying competition from both iOS and HarmonyOS. However, strong demand for the Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup, and the Ultra model in particular, helped soften the overall decline. The Galaxy S26 series outperformed its predecessor, offsetting some of the losses.
Market conditions also played a role. Chinese Android manufacturers are pivoting toward higher-value devices and pulling back from the entry-level segment as they contend with RAM shortages and rising production costs, a situation referred to in the report as “RAMageddon.”
Pixel 10a Stands Out in Japan
A separate Counterpoint report ranks the top five best-selling smartphones across major global markets. In most regions, Apple’s iPhone 17 series claimed the top spots. Japan proved to be a notable exception in one respect: directly behind the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17E sat the Google Pixel 10a.
Japan is the only market where Google’s Pixel series breaks into the top-selling rankings. The Pixel 10a captured 7% of Japan’s smartphone sales during the quarter, extending the ongoing popularity of Google’s budget-friendly Pixel models in the region. The result is especially significant because the Pixel 9a did not appear on the equivalent list a year earlier.
The data underscores a wider divide in the smartphone landscape, where Android’s global dominance in aggregate contrasts with country-by-country breakdowns that tell a more varied story. While Android holds a commanding lead overall, Apple continues to top individual market rankings in numerous countries, leaving Google’s Pixel line to shine primarily in Japan.
According to the reporting period, the Pixel 10a accounted for 7% of smartphone sales in Japan during the second quarter of 2026.
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