# Smartphone Sales Hit 14-Year Low

> Global smartphone sales drop 20% as memory prices surge.
- Title: Smartphone Sales Hit 14-Year Low · Mashable | Shortify
- Summary: Global smartphone sales drop 20% as memory prices surge. Global smartphone shipments fell 20% year-over-year in Q3 2026, hitting the lowest level since 2012…
- Keywords: counterpoint, smartphone, smartphone market, smartphone shipments, memory prices, smartphone retail prices, smartphone sales, smartphone market 2026, technology, culture, Sales, Hit
- Source: Mashable — https://mashable.com/tech/smartphone-market-lowest-sales-14-years
- Author: Alex Perry
- Published: 2026-10-14T17:33:16+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: counterpoint, smartphone, smartphone market, smartphone shipments, memory prices, smartphone retail prices, smartphone sales, smartphone market 2026, technology, culture
## Global smartphone shipments
Global smartphone shipments dropped 20 percent year-over-year in Q3 2026.
## Lowest sales level since 2012
Shipments hit the lowest level measured since 2012, when smartphones were less common.
## Memory prices disrupt production
Relentless increases in memory prices significantly disrupted shipments from Samsung and Apple.
## Key takeaway

Global smartphone shipments fell 20% year-over-year in Q3 2026, hitting the lowest level since 2012 due to rising memory costs.