China smartphone shipments fall 4.3% as Apple, Huawei rise

Smartphone shipments in China fell for a fifth consecutive quarter, declining 4.3 percent year-over-year to approximately 66 million units in the second quarter of 2026, according to preliminary data from research firm IDC. The overall market contraction, however, masked a stark divergence, with Apple and Huawei emerging as the only major brands to grow their shipments in a period defined by rising component costs.

Apple’s shipments surged 24.4 percent compared to the same period last year, making it the fastest-growing major vendor in China. Huawei’s shipments grew 19.4 percent. As a result, Huawei retained the top market share at 22.6 percent, while Apple’s share rose from 13.9 percent to 18.1 percent, securing second place. In contrast, other leading manufacturers saw significant declines. Xiaomi suffered the steepest drop, with shipments down 21.7 percent, while Oppo and Vivo saw declines of 9.7 percent and 11.4 percent, respectively.

Industry analysts attribute the split performance primarily to pricing strategy. While most Android vendors raised prices or scaled back budget models starting in late March to offset soaring memory and component costs, Apple and Huawei held...