News & Reviews:   Counterpoint research

As we have been reporting for weeks, the shortage of memory chips across the world will raise the prices of smartphones this year. According to new research from Counterpoint Research, rising DRAM and NAND flash costs are significantly increasing the bill of materials for smartphones across all price segments, forcing manufacturers to reconsider their component strategies.

Industry research firm Counterpoint Research has revised its outlook for the global smartphone market, now projecting a slight contraction in shipments in 2026. The adjustment is largely due to a sharp rise in memory chip prices, especially for DRAM (RAM) used in smartphones, as supply tightens against booming demand from artificial intelligence (AI) data centres and other high-end computing sectors.

In 2025, Counterpoint Research predicts that Apple will become the world's largest smartphone manufacturer, overtaking Samsung for the first time since 2011. So, what should you know about it?

In 2025, the one system that's become common is generative AI. Even some mid-range devices have generative AI, which is why mobile chipsets now have more emphasis on AI performance. The latest Counterpoint Research report confirms that shipments of Gen-AI chipsets are on the rise.

It looks like Xiaomi has had a great start this year by being crowned the largest Chinese smartphone brand globally. According to a report, the brand’s worldwide market share hit 13% in the month of February, which also helped the company to become the world’s third-largest smartphone brand.

Counterpoint Research recently revealed that Huawei have surpassed Apple as the 2nd largest smartphone brand in the world. While quite a few tech sites out there are saying this is the sign of Apple's impending doom, is it really the turning point Huawei is hoping for? Reading closer into the research reveals that this is probably just a milestone, a significant one showing just how far Huawei has grown, but even though the upcoming Huawei Mate 10 has yet to be announced, these researchers say that this rise "...could be temporary considering the annual iPhone refresh is just around the corner...".