According to preliminary data released Monday by Counterpoint Research, Samsung captured a 24 percent share of global smartphone shipments in the April-June period, compared with Apple's 20 percent.
In the first quarter, Apple briefly moved ahead with a 21 percent market share versus Samsung's 20 percent.
Samsung also recorded the strongest year-on-year shipment growth among the world's top five smartphone makers, helped by resilient demand in India and the Middle East, where it kept price increases relatively modest while rolling out aggressive seasonal promotions.
"Samsung held up relatively well in India and the Middle East, supported by better product availability, fewer price hikes and aggressive summer promotions that complemented flagship momentum," Counterpoint said.
Apple remained the only major smartphone manufacturer not to raise handset prices during the quarter.
Its shipments rose 3 percent from a year earlier, supported by continued strength of the iPhone 17 lineup, which remained the world's best-selling smartphone family. However, the company continued to struggle in China despite early promotional campaigns ahead of the country's mid-year shopping festival.
The broader smartphone market, however, continued to suffer. Global smartphone shipments fell 11 percent from a year earlier, marking the weakest second-quarter performance since 2013 as shortages of DRAM and NAND flash memory intensified.
Counterpoint attributed the downturn to memory suppliers prioritizing lucrative AI data center demand over consumer electronics, sending memory prices sharply higher and forcing smartphone manufacturers to raise prices, particularly for entry-level and mid-range devices.
"The global memory crisis has now overtaken every other factor as the single biggest drag on the smartphone industry," said Counterpoint Senior Analyst Shilpi Jain.
"What started as a components issue last year is now a full-blown demand issue. Entry and mid-tier devices, which account for the majority of global smartphone volumes, have become structurally unfeasible at previous price points."
The memory shortage was further compounded by higher shipping and energy costs linked to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, alongside slowing global economic growth and weak consumer sentiment, the research firm said.
Chinese smartphone makers were hit hardest by the cost pressures.
Xiaomi, OPPO and vivo all posted double-digit shipment declines as their heavy exposure to lower-priced devices left them particularly vulnerable to rising component costs. Consumers increasingly delayed purchases, opted for older-generation smartphones or extended replacement cycles.
Outside the top five, Google posted the fastest growth with a 16 percent increase in shipments, driven by the Pixel 10 series, while Huawei expanded shipments by 6 percent on solid demand for its Mate 80 and Nova 15 lineups.
Looking ahead, Counterpoint forecast global smartphone shipments to decline by about 14 percent this year, warning that the AI-driven memory shortage is likely to persist into 2027.
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