China Smartphone Market: Apple Jumps to Second Place Amid 14-Year Low

China's mobile phone industry entered its weakest period in 14 years during the third quarter of 2026. The downturn was driven by rising memory costs and cautious consumer spending.

Apple emerged as the primary beneficiary of this contraction. Counterpoint Research estimates that Apple secured 19.5% of smartphone shipments in China during the quarter. This represents an increase of 4.8 percentage points compared to the same period in 2025. The gain propelled the company from sixth place to second in the market rankings.

Huawei remained the market leader with a 21.3% share. The Chinese firm added 5.3 percentage points to its total, making it the only other brand among the top six to expand its footprint. All other major manufacturers lost ground as the overall pie shrank.

Vivo saw its share decline by 2.8 points to 15.2%. OPPO slipped 1.3 points to finish with 15.1%. Xiaomi dropped 1.6 points to 13.5%, while HONOR fell 2.2 points to 12.7%. The remaining manufacturers combined lost 2 points, ending the quarter with a 2.8% share.

Counterpoint attributed Apple's surge to the performance of the iPhone 18 Pro series. The report noted that the lineup saw a strong launch in China. Sales for the new Pro models in the first three weeks were 23.5% higher than those of the iPhone 17 Pro series from a year earlier. The firm suggested that the delayed release of the base iPhone 18 model may have pushed some buyers toward the more expensive Pro options.

These figures differ from a separate report released by IDC a few days prior. IDC calculated that Chinese smartphone shipments fell 15.4% year over year in the third quarter. While IDC also found Apple's share rising to 17.8%, it recorded a 4.3% decline in actual iPhone shipments. This divergence highlights the varying methodologies used by different research firms to track market trends.

IDC also outlined a weak global picture for the industry. The firm estimated that worldwide smartphone shipments fell a record 22% year over year in the quarter. Apple posted the smallest decline among the top five global manufacturers, with its sales dropping just 4%.

Counterpoint warned that market conditions may remain difficult in the coming months. Higher device prices are causing consumers to delay upgrades or wait for promotional periods. Many buyers are also turning to refurbished devices. These behavioral shifts could place additional pressure on demand during the fourth quarter of 2026.