Global Smartphone Production Fell 1.7% YoY in 1Q26; Memory Cost Pressures Expected to Drive a Sharper Decline in 2Q26, Says TrendForce (opens in new tab)

TrendForce’s latest figures reveal that global smartphone production reached around 284 million units in the first quarter of 2026, marking a 1.7% YoY decline. Despite a sharp rise in memory prices since the second half of 2025, the effect on production was minimal because brands still held inventories of cheaper memory components. Additionally, consumer expectations of higher prices in the future have helped sustain short-term demand, cushioning the impact of rising memory costs on productio...