Google Pixel’s Tensor grows as global smartphone shipments continue to fall

The chipset giants like MediaTek and Qualcomm are facing a drop in shipments as proprietary SoCs from Google and Samsung gain share in 2026.

In a Counterpoint Research report disclosing SoC (system on a chip) sales comparing H1 2025 to H1 2026, chipset shipments have declined by 15%. A significant drop like that indicates smartphones from major Android manufacturers have also dropped. And with smartphone companies like Google and Samsung continuing to develop proprietary chipsets, MediaTek and Qualcomm have seen a drop in market share.

Mediatek’s SoC share has decreased from 37% to 32%, while Qualcomm’s share fell to 22% from 26%. Google, Samsung, and UNISOC have gained SoC share, but the loss from the manufacturers behind the Snapdragon 8 Gen series and the Dimensity lineup has been divided relatively evenly.

MediaTek and Qualcomm’s shipments declined by more than 25% YoY in H1 2026. Meanwhile, Apple, Samsung, Google and UNISOC posted sturdy shipment growth during the period, each for distinct reasons detailed below.

The blame falls on memory costs that show no sign of letup. The rise is causing manufacturers to increase device prices to compensate for component costs, and with a reported 300% increase in memory costs YoY, SoC costs no longer account for the bulk in each shipment.

The H1 2026 data isn’t unexpected, considering a report earlier this month detailed a more granular look at falling smartphone shipments as a whole.

This has also given birth to the rise of generative AI chipsets. Some SoCs like the Tensor G5 from Google set sights on facilitating AI as more Android devices pile on features, and more are following. That section of SoCs has increased 24% YoY, even as the overall number fell.

The Pixel 11 series is expected to be announced on August 12, and Google’s Tensor G6 will power the device as another proprietary SoC entry after the Tensor G5 was built into the Pixel 10 lineup. Google isn’t the only company pushing its own chipsets. Samsung is continuing to build its Exynos line, though the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 series uses Qualcomm’s processors worldwide.

RAM prices don’t seem to want to relent, and the dive we’re seeing might not let up anytime soon.