New data from Q1 2026 offers a look at the US smartphone market where Google Pixel has solidified a #4 spot, but saw its shipments drop year-over-year, with only around 800,000 devices shipped during the first quarter.
Omdia reports that the US smartphone market dropped by around 3% year-over-year (YoY), with nearly every brand seeing its totals drop. Apple retained its dominant 60% share of the US market, with 19.9 million shipments being down 3% YoY. Samsung, despite a popular Galaxy S26 series, saw shipments drop by 5% to the tune of 7.9 million and 24% of the overall market.
The only brand in the top five that grew was Motorola, which saw its shipments jump from 3 million in Q1 2025 to 3.6 million in Q1 2026, up 18% YoY and growing Motorola’s share of the market to 11%. This was attributed to the latest Moto G series devices (prior to price hikes) which made up 70% of the quarter’s shipments.
Google Pixel, meanwhile, saw a drop of 7% YoY despite the Pixel 10a’s launch in Q1. Pixel retained its 3% share of the overall US smartphone market, with shipments dropping from around 900,000 in Q1 2025 to aroud 800,000 in Q1 2026 – Pixel still makes up a very small portion of the US market.
Omdia says:
Google shipments fell 7% year over year in Q126, as the Pixel 10 series failed to replicate the momentum of the Pixel 9 lineup a year earlier. The earlier launch of the Pixel 10a helped offset some of the decline, while aggressive carrier promotions remained central to Google’s strategy to expand Pixel demand beyond its core premium user base.

Google Pixel has been off to a good start in 2026 globally, though, but it’s interesting – if perhaps a little concerning – to see a drop in the US specifically seeing as that has been a market that Google specifically focuses on.
Further breaking down the data, though, we can see how the US is currently an outlier in the global smartphone market. Whereas more premium tiers of devices are seeing better outlooks in other regions, the US saw growth solely in the sub-$300 segment, with demand for flagship-tier devices being roughly unchanged, and the $300-599 segment dropping by 19% YoY.
More on Google Pixel:
- Google Pixel adds ‘Disco’ custom icons, and it’s a whole vibe [Gallery]
- More of Google Pixel’s new 3D emoji for Android 17 have leaked, here’s a quick look [Gallery]
- Google Pixel makes up 5% of foldables in North America – Apple will hit nearly 50%
Follow Ben: Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


Comments