According to the latest preliminary statistics released by International Data Corporation (IDC) today, China's smartphone market as a whole is still in a downward trend in the second quarter of 2026, with total shipments falling 4.3% year-on-year to approximately 66 million units. This is the fifth consecutive quarter of shrinkage for the market. However, against the background of the overall market downturn, Apple performed well. Its iPhone shipments increased by 24.4% year-on-year, becoming the fastest growing mobile phone brand in the Chinese market during the quarter.
Among the major manufacturers, only Apple and Huawei achieved shipment growth, with Huawei increasing by 19.4% year-on-year. Affected by the general market environment, other mainstream brands including Xiaomi have experienced varying degrees of decline, with Xiaomi's shipments falling by 21.7% year-on-year. As the statistical results for the second quarter are released, Apple's market share in China has increased from 13.9% in the same period last year to 18.1%, ranking second in the market, second only to Huawei, which accounts for 22.6%.
Analysts pointed out that when manufacturers faced the rising costs of memory and components caused by the construction of AI infrastructure, they adopted different response strategies, which directly led to the differentiation of market performance. The vast majority of Android camp manufacturers have chosen to increase terminal prices after late March, while Apple and Huawei have responded to cost pressures by maintaining stable selling prices and cooperating with targeted promotions.
In addition, Huawei is seizing the market by continuously expanding the coverage of its product line, while Apple is warning the market in advance that it will raise prices in the second half of the year, stimulating consumers' sense of urgency to purchase. IDC analyst Guo Tianxiang said that this gave some consumers who were in a wait-and-see state a reason to directly purchase iPhone 17 series models, driving an early release of sales. It is worth noting that even during the "618" shopping festival, which is usually regarded as the peak sales season, China's smartphone market failed to get rid of the weakness, with overall sales falling by nearly 15% compared with the same period in 2025.
Looking to the future, IDC predicts that China's mobile phone market will still face severe challenges in the next few years. As the inventory of lower-cost parts is about to be exhausted, and memory prices are unlikely to fall significantly in the short term, IDC predicts that the year-on-year market decline in the second half of 2026 may expand to about 20%. This is a key node when Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 18 Pro series models and its first folding screen mobile phone. Institutional analysts believe that the overall market recovery may need to wait until 2028 to 2029, when a new round of mobile phone replacement cycles is expected to officially arrive, thus promoting a concentrated release of demand.
