Global phone sales are already down this year compared to 2025, largely due to price hikes and cost pressures. Even markets like the United States are not immune to the prevailing dynamics, as a new report shows. US smartphone sales declined by 5% in Q2 2026 compared to the same period last year. The market weakness impacted Samsung's sales as well.Things aren't likely to get better this yearCounterpoint Research reports that macroeconomic factors and memory price hikes resulted in US smartphone shipments declining by 5% in Q2 2026. Combined sales for the top four OEMs in the US, namely Apple, Samsung, Motorola, and Google, fell 4% combined compared to Q2 2025. All of the remaining players saw their sales decline by 45% year-over-year.The biggest hit was seen in the sub-$100 segment, which is typically one of the most cost sensitive, where phone sales declined by 64% year-over-year, largely due to higher prices.The market research firm expects that average selling prices for smartphones in the United States will increase in Q3 2026. This will be due to Apple's expected price increases for the new iPhones. Apple tends to account for over 50% of US smartphone sales in Q3 because that's when it launches new models every year.Higher prices for premium devices has resulted in better demand for prepaid phones. Samsung saw its prepaid smartphone sales increase by 9% in the US this past quarter compared to the same period last year.