Counterpoint: US smartphone market contracts, budget devices hit hardest

Counterpoint Research’s latest report examines smartphone sales in the US for the April 1 – June 30 period, aka Q2. The overall market fell by 5% compared to last year as the ongoing memory chip crisis resulted in increased average asking prices (ASP) for devices across the board. In addition, rising gas prices due to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East also affected consumer purchasing power.

Apple, Samsung, Motorola and Google saw their combined sales drop by 4% on a year-over-year basis. The remaining brands doing business in the US saw their sales decline by up to 45% compared to Q2 2025.

Sub-$100 phone sales declined by 64% compared to the same period last year as smaller OEMs struggled to absorb rising component prices. ODM devices like the ones you’d find from carriers faced some of the largest declines as they could not keep up with competition from larger brands like Samsung and Motorola.

Those two brands actually managed to increase their share in the prepaid smartphone market. Samsung’s Galaxy A-series and Motorola’s Moto G lineup proved to be key drivers across several carriers.

US Prepaid Smartphone Sales Share by Brand, Q2 2025 vs Q2 2026 (Counterpoint Research)

And there’s no positive outlook in the near future, as Counterpoint analysts expect ASPs to continue rising in Q3. With Google raising its Pixel 11 series starting prices by $100 and Apple expected to follow with the iPhone 18 Pro series, smartphone shipments in the US are expected to continue their negative trend.

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