Now, a new study indicates that the Cupertino tech giant had 65 per cent of the premium smartphone market in the first half of 2026. However, this is still an overall drop from the company’s premium segment back in 2022, when Apple had 74 per cent of the premium market. Overall premium smartphone sales went up five per cent year over year. Counterpoint Research mentions that the price gap between mid-tier and premium phones is decreasing and therefore leading people to buy more flagships. The only other brand that’s close to Apple in this department is Samsung, which holds 19 per cent in the global smartphone market.