Europe's smartphone average price hits record €580 as budget devices vanish

Research firm Omdia says Europe's smartphone market (excluding Russia) shipped 33.1 million units in Q1 2026, up 2% year-on-year, but the real story is the price tag: the average selling price hit a record €580, up sharply from €577 in the previous quarter and well above the €471 trough seen in early 2024.

The culprit is simple. Devices priced below €200 have all but disappeared from shelves, making up just 25% of shipments—an all-time low. Brands are chasing margins, not volumes, and buyers are left with fewer cheap options to fall back on.

Samsung secures the top spot, Apple is at second

Samsung held its top spot with 12.6 million units and a 38% market share, though it leaned heavily on discounts for the Galaxy A16 4G to compensate for delayed launches of the Galaxy S26, A57, and A37. Apple grew 9% to 8.8 million iPhones—notably without deep discounting—driven by the iPhone 17 series alongside the older iPhone 15 and 16e filling out the mid-range.

Xiaomi took a hit, shipping 4.5 million units, down 15%, after running into supply-side difficulties. But it offset the volume drop by pushing its average selling price up 21%, with the Xiaomi’s flagship models all posting record demand, particularly in France, Germany, and Spain.

Honor Is growing fastest, but a memory crunch cloud stall everyone

Motorola grew 17% to 1.9 million units on the back of strong expansion in Spain and Portugal. OPPO climbed 9% to 1.3 million, led by a comeback in France. Honor was the fastest-growing brand in the group, surging over 60% by expanding into lower price tiers that bigger players are actively vacating.

The good quarter may not last. Omdia warns that a worsening global memory component shortage will drag European shipments down 12% over the full year, with most of the damage landing in the second half of 2026.