Channel advances inventory ahead of price hike expectations, and the global smartphone market saw a slight 1% increase in the first quarter.

Omdia's latest research results show that the global smartphone market performed better than expected in the first quarter of 2026, with a year-on-year growth of 1%. However, due to channel partners stocking up in advance to support some shipment volumes in the short term, this growth has not fully reflected all the impacts of rising costs on the supply side. Memory and storage costs have started to rise significantly in the first quarter, but manufacturers have not yet fully raised end retail prices in all markets.