Technologies

Apple and Samsung Dominated Phone Sales in 2025, but Price Hikes Could Define 2026

Phone-makers were able to absorb tariffs and economic turmoil, but devices might get pricier this year.

Despite a year marked by tariff disruptions, economic turmoil and household affordability constraints, the mobile phone industry closed out 2025 with 1.9% year-over-year growth, according to the International Data Corporation. Premium phones (priced at roughly $800 and up) sold well, and Apple and Samsung had the highest year-over-year growth among phones shipped, according to IDC’s recent report. Combined, they accounted for 39% of phones sold globally all year, up from 37% in 2024.

But will that carry on in 2026? The industry faces challenges ahead, all from a shift in how people buy (or don’t buy) phones this year. The first challenge is the intensifying RAM shortage, which has already affected the home PC market and will likely make phones even pricier this year.

«While 2025 was a positive year for smartphones, the industry is now facing a distinctly different outlook,» Ryan Reith, IDC group vice president for worldwide client devices, said in the report. «The memory shortage, which is widely considered an unprecedented supply chain disruption, will cause the market to decline in 2026, and the duration of the shortage will ultimately determine the extent of the market contraction.»

Tech giants will fare best, as they’ll be able to secure better supply rates and price points, Reith wrote, but the average phone price for the everyday consumer is likely to rise due to higher costs.

When and where these price hikes occur are uncertain, but phone-makers may try to mitigate their impact on consumers, much as companies did with tariffs last year.

Avi Greengart, president and lead analyst at Techsponential, predicts that price increases could again be masked or delayed to avoid a slowdown in consumer purchasing. Companies may also adjust by adapting phone specs.

«You’ll see base phone models without quite as much storage as you might have gotten in the past, with higher prices being passed along on the larger storage options,» Greengart told CNET. «We may see companies choosing components with cost-cutting in mind, such as sticking with last year’s excellent display technology to save a few dollars instead of this year’s even-better panels.»

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At the super-premium level, especially with devices like foldables that can reach around $2,000 in price, phone-makers will likely have an easier time raising prices or accepting lower margins, Greengart said. But cheaper phones with even slimmer margins won’t be spared, as he expects entry-level and mid-tier handset prices to rise as well.

It’s still early in the year, and very few phones have been announced, none of which have significantly hiked prices. With CES 2026 in the rearview, eyes are on the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2026 in late February to give us a sense of how our phones might get more expensive — and by how much.

Technologies

Google’s Pixel 10A Is Coming to Japan With an Exclusive Blue Edition and Special Wallpaper

This model comes with creatively designed stickers and a special look for Pixel’s 10th anniversary.

Don’t be blue: Google is releasing an Isai blue edition of the Pixel 10A to celebrate the Android phone line’s 10th anniversary, setting it apart with its own sticker set, specialized wallpaper and custom icons. But it’ll only be available in Japan.

Announced Tuesday on the Google Japan blog, the Isai blue Pixel 10A has a dark blue look and includes bonus decorations designed in collaboration with Japan’s Heralbony art company. These include an exclusive bumper case and stickers for customization.

This edition of the Pixel 10A will arrive in Japan on May 20, following the April 14 release of the Pixel 10A in its original colors of lavender, berry, fog and obsidian. The Isai blue model costs 94,900 yen, which roughly translates to $595, and includes 256GB of storage.

This makes it slightly less expensive than the US model’s 256GB edition, but it comes with a number of fun extras at no additional cost.

Google’s creation of a country-specific model for Japan may also reflect strong sales in that market. In 2023, the IDC analytics firm (via 9to5Google) reported that the Pixel 7 series accounted for 10.7% of the country’s market share, a 527% increase from 2022.

Technologies

Can’t Wait for New Emoji? Here’s How to Create Your Own on iPhone

Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhones can create custom emoji in a few easy steps.

Apple brought new emoji to all iPhones when the company released iOS 26.4 on March 24. The new emoji include «🫍» orca, «🫪» distorted face and «🫈» hairy creature — or as we might normally call it, Sasquatch. According to Emojipedia, there are 3,953 emoji with more on the way, including a pickle. But there’s no emoji for a dog wearing pajamas, a plate with burgers and fries and many other things. But if you have Genmoji on your iPhone you can create these emoji and many more.

Apple released iOS 18.2 in 2024 and the company introduced its own emoji generator, called Genmoji, to Apple Intelligence-capable iPhones at that time. The Unicode Standard, a universal character encoding standard, is responsible for creating new emoji, and approved emoji are added to all devices once a year. With Genmoji, you don’t have to wait for new emoji to appear on your iPhone each year. You can just create them as you need them.

Read on to learn how to use Genmoji on iPhone to create your own custom emoji. Just note that only iPhones with Apple Intelligence, like the iPhone 17 lineup, can use Genmoji at this time.

Note: The new emoji may not display correctly for Apple users whose devices aren’t on a 26.4 software version.

How to make custom emoji

1. Open Messages and go into a chat.
2. Tap the plus (+) button next to your text box.
3. Tap Genmoji.

You can then type a description of an emoji into the text box near the bottom of your screen and tap the check mark on your keyboard to enter that description into Genmoji. You can also tap different suggestions and themes that are right above the text box. And with iOS 26 or later, you can also combine and use emoji to create others rather than describing a new emoji or using suggestions.

Your iPhone will generate a series of new emoji for you to pick from according to your description, and you can swipe through these new emoji. When you find the one you want, tap Add in the top right corner of your screen and the new emoji will be available to use as an emoji, tapback or a sticker. Now you don’t have to wait for the Unicode Standard to propose, create and bring new emoji to devices.

For more iOS news, here’s what to know about iOS 26.4 and iOS 26.3. You can also check out our iOS 26 cheat sheet for other tips and tricks.

Technologies

Save Over 20% on This Handy 10,000-mAh Anker Nano Power Bank

Keep your devices charged on the go with this Anker Nano power bank, now down to just $46.

We’ve just spotted the Anker Nano 45-watt portable power bank for just $46 at Amazon right now. This saves you $14 — a 23% discount on its list price. Though it’s $6 more than the lowest-ever price we saw during Black Friday, it’s still a solid discount when you take the rising cost of tech accessories into account. It also matches the lowest price we’ve seen in 2026. It comes in four colors: black, green, pink and white. They’re all on sale for the same price.

This Anker Nano portable charger weighs approximately 8.2 ounces and measures a compact 3.21×1.99×1.42 inches. Despite its small size, it has a retractable cable and supports fast charging in compatible Apple, Samsung, Google Pixel and other smartphones. It also has a large 10,000-mAh capacity and a smart display so you always know how much juice is left in your power bank.

The Nano can charge an iPhone 17 to up to 50% battery in an estimated 20 minutes, and is powerful enough to charge tablets and laptops. Need to charge your devices while charging your power bank? You can do so safely thanks to pass-through charging so you’ll never have to go without battery life.

We’ve also compiled a list of the best power banks for iPhones and for Android, in case this deal isn’t quite a fit for you.

Why this deal matters

If you travel, have a long commute time or are otherwise always on the go, a portable charger can help you keep your devices fully powered. This 45-watt Anker Nano power bank is compact, includes a loop that lets you keep track of it easily and has a built-in cable so you don’t have to keep up with extra cords. Amazon’s $14 discount makes this a solid deal for anyone looking for a compact power bank.