5G device evolution and outlook: the search for a spark

As smartphone competition becomes increasingly shaped by regional dynamics, understanding competitive dynamics beyond the global level is becoming more important. This report examines smartphone competition through a regional lens, highlighting leaders, followers and challengers across regions and countries. The insights can be used to formulate or adjust commercial strategies, identify growth opportunities and prioritise markets.

The Smartphone Market Shares Dashboard 2026 provides granular data on OEM smartphone market shares across countries, regions and at the global level, highlighting market leaders, followers and challengers. It is a valuable resource for OEMs looking to refine their growth strategies and targets, as well as for mobile operators, digital service providers and other stakeholders whose businesses rely on smartphone market dynamics and competitive positioning.

This edition of the Industry Checkpoint series focuses on consumer devices, highlighting how the market has changed in the last six months and its implications. The report considers three major developments: accelerating innovation for smart glasses as leading companies try to establish it as the next major consumer platform; smartphone innovation becoming more diverse, from practical to experimental concepts; and chipmakers increasingly designing on-device agentic AI capabilities.