Apple iPhone Shipments Surge 24% in China as Android Rivals Raise Prices [Report]

Apple's smartphone shipments in China jumped 24.4 percent in the second quarter of 2026, even as the country's overall smartphone market declined amid rising component costs.



Total smartphone shipments in the region fell 4.3 percent year over year to roughly 66 million units, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of decline. According to preliminary data from IDC, much of the Android field was forced to raise prices or trim hardware configurations in response to an ongoing memory shortage. Higher prices, combined with fading government subsidies, noticeably cooled upgrade demand across the country.


Apple and Huawei were the only major brands to post growth during the quarter. Huawei secured the top spot with a 22.6 percent share after growing 19.4 percent, while Apple captured 18.1 percent of the market to take second place. Both companies managed to hold their prices steady while their competitors made hardware more expensive.

Apple also benefited from purchases being pulled forward. The company offered targeted promotions during the country's annual 618 shopping festival. IDC also noted that Apple's earlier signaling of price increases for its second-half products pulled some consumers into the iPhone 17 upgrade cycle sooner than they otherwise would have purchased.

The rest of the top five saw significant pullbacks. OPPO and vivo tied for third place with 16.0 percent of the market, though their shipments dropped 9.7 percent and 11.4 percent, respectively. Xiaomi rounded out the top five with a 12.4 percent share following a steep 21.7 percent decline. The top six vendors now control approximately 96 percent of the Chinese smartphone market, continuing to squeeze smaller brands.