Chinese Phone Shipments Fall 10% to 14-Year Low

Chinese smartphone shipments declined 10% in the third quarter of 2026, marking the lowest volume level in 14 years. Counterpoint Research issued a report detailing the drop, which it attributed to rising memory prices that increased costs across the industry. The market contraction left most manufacturers struggling to maintain their previous market positions.

Apple emerged as a distinct outlier during the downturn. The company's share of Chinese smartphone shipments rose to 19.5%, a gain of 4.8 percentage points compared to the same period in the previous year. This increase moved Apple from sixth place to second, positioning it directly behind Huawei.

Huawei retained the top spot with a 21.3% market share, up 5.3 percentage points year over year. Among the six leading brands, Huawei and Apple were the only two companies to increase their shipment share. All other major competitors saw their market presence shrink.

Vivo experienced the largest drop among the major brands, falling 2.8 percentage points to a 15.2% share. OPPO declined 1.3 points to 15.1%, while Xiaomi lost 1.6 points to reach 13.5%. HONOR saw its share drop 2.2 points to 12.7%. Manufacturers outside the top five combined lost 2 points, ending the quarter with a 2.8% share.

Counterpoint cited the iPhone 18 Pro series as a primary driver for Apple's performance. The firm noted that the lineup saw a strong launch, with sales in the first three weeks up 23.5% year over year compared to the iPhone 17 Pro series. The delayed release of the base iPhone 18 model may have further encouraged consumers to purchase the higher-end Pro options.

These figures differ from a report published by IDC a few days earlier. IDC estimated that Chinese smartphone shipments fell 15.4% in the third quarter, though it also noted Apple's share rose to 17.8%. On a global scale, IDC reported that worldwide smartphone shipments dropped a record 22% year over year. Apple recorded the smallest decline among the top five global manufacturers, with shipments down only 4%.

Counterpoint indicated that difficult conditions may persist in the coming months. Higher device prices are leading consumers to delay upgrades, wait for promotional periods, or purchase refurbished units. These shifts in buying behavior could place additional pressure on demand during the fourth quarter of 2026.