Google Pixel to see ‘strongest growth’ in 2026, report says

The Google Pixel brand has been growing steadily in recent years and, as the smartphone market as a whole faces a rocky year in 2026, Pixel is expected to see the “strongest growth” compared to other big names.

In a breakdown of SoC shipments in 2026, Counterpoint predicts that Google Pixel, on the back of its Tensor chip, will see the largest growth year-over-year by a wide margin, and it could be higher than what was already expected too. The smartphone market as a whole, measured by SoC shipments, is expected to shrink by around 7% in 2026 due to the ongoing memory shortage and rising component costs.

As such, and as we’ve heard before, Google Pixel and other brands working on in-house chip designs are expected to weather the storm better than others. Counterpoint explains:

Chinese OEMs are likely to be hit the hardest, while Apple and Samsung are better positioned due to integrated supply chains and a continued shift toward premiumization…. Google is expected to see the strongest growth, supported by AI differentiation and expanding traction beyond the US and Japan. Samsung’s launch of the 2nm Exynos 2600 further strengthens its vertical strategy, while MediaTek and Qualcomm face mixed outcomes as premium platforms offset weakness in volume segments.

The biggest detail in this latest report is that Counterpoint says it expects Google Pixel to grow even more in 2026 than it had previously forecasted. Originally, the research firm was expecting Tensor shipments – and, in turn, Pixel phones – to grow by just over 13% in 2026, but that forecast is now just shy of 19%. And that’s on top of Google having already had one of its best years for Pixel to date in 2025. This is attributed, the report mentions, mainly to “expanding traction” outside of key markets such as the US and Japan.

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