China Phone Sales: Apple Jumps to Second

Apple has moved into the second position in the Chinese smartphone market. This shift occurred during the third quarter of 2026, a period marked by the lowest sales volume in 14 years.

Counterpoint Research reported that total smartphone shipments in China dropped 10% compared to the same period in 2025. The decline was driven by rising memory prices that increased hardware costs for manufacturers.

Despite the overall slump, Apple captured 19.5% of the market share. This represents a 4.8 percentage point increase from the previous year. The gain propelled the company from sixth place to second, placing it directly behind Huawei.

Huawei remained the market leader with a 21.3% share, up 5.3 percentage points year over year. Among the top six brands, only Apple and Huawei expanded their footprint. All other major competitors lost ground. Vivo’s share fell 2.8 points to 15.2%, while OPPO slipped 1.3 points to 15.1%. Xiaomi dropped 1.6 points to 13.5%, and HONOR declined 2.2 points to 12.7%.

Counterpoint attributed Apple’s performance to the iPhone 18 Pro series. The firm noted that the lineup saw a strong launch, with sales in the first three weeks up 23.5% year over year. The delayed release of the base iPhone 18 model may have pushed consumers toward the Pro variants during the initial sales window.

IDC published a separate report earlier in the month with different figures. That analysis stated that Chinese shipments fell 15.4% year over year. IDC calculated Apple’s share at 17.8% while noting iPhone shipments decreased by 4.3%. Globally, IDC estimated a record 22% drop in smartphone shipments for the quarter.

Counterpoint warned that consumer behavior will continue to challenge the industry in the fourth quarter. Higher device prices are prompting buyers to delay upgrades or purchase refurbished units. This trend could further suppress demand as the year ends.