Apple's Latin America iPhone Shipments Jumped 31% in Q1 2026

Apple saw a 31% jump in Latin American smartphone shipments during the first quarter of 2026, fueled by exceptional growth in Mexico and robust demand for the iPhone 17 lineup.



The broader Latin American smartphone market grew 3% year over year to 34.8 million units. According to Omdia, the increase was supported by proactive inventory accumulation from retailers and a delayed pass-through of rising DRAM and NAND memory prices.


Apple shipped 1.8 million devices to capture roughly 5% of the market, securing fifth place overall. Omdia says the gains were driven by an 80% year-over-year surge in shipments to Mexico alongside robust reception of the iPhone 17 series. The regional performance mirrors Apple's broader global performance in Q1, where the company captured the top spot worldwide.



Samsung maintained its lead in Latin America with 12.9 million units and a 37% market share, supported by strong sales of its A-series devices. Xiaomi placed second with 17% of the market, followed by Motorola at 14% and HONOR at 10%. Motorola was the only top-five vendor to post a decline, falling 5% as demand in the entry-level segment weakened.

Omdia says premium smartphone demand remained resilient thanks to ongoing trade-in programs, installment plans, and buy-now-pay-later financing. However, analysts expect higher memory component prices to become more visible at retail later this year, particularly affecting the availability and affordability of lower-cost devices.