IDC: Apple gains ground as China’s smartphone shipments plunge 15.4% in Q3 2026

According to a new report from IDC, Apple’s share of smartphone shipments in China grew during Q3 2026, despite a 4.3% year-over-year decline in iPhone shipments. Here are the details.

Apple gains ground as China’s smartphone shipments plunge 15.4%

In a new report released today, IDC says that rising component costs and retail prices continue to weigh on the broader Chinese smartphone market.

According to IDC, Apple accounted for 17.8% of smartphone shipments in China during Q3 2026, up from 15.8% in the year-ago period. The gain came despite a 15.4% year-over-year decline in overall smartphone shipments in China, with Apple itself seeing a 4.3% year-over-year decline and a 15.1% drop from the previous quarter.

This means that while Apple lost ground, it didn’t lose as much as most of its competitors, thus increasing its overall shipment share.

And speaking of Apple’s competitors, Huawei was the uncontested winner for the quarter, with a massive 17.3% year-over-year increase in shipments, bringing its market share to 21.1%, up from 15.2% in Q3 2025. However, its shipments still declined 17.6% from the previous quarter.

Other than Huawei, Lenovo was the only other brand in China’s top 10 to record year-over-year shipment growth, at 1.1%. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, however, Lenovo, Honor, and Samsung all recorded increases, with Samsung posting a whopping 106.5% jump.

On the other end of the spectrum, Wiko saw the biggest year-over-year decline among the top 10, with shipments plunging 74% in Q3 2026, bringing its shipment share down to 0.8%, from 2.6% in the year-ago period.

Here’s IDC on these numbers, which it notes are preliminary (translation ours):

Despite the overall market downturn, Huawei maintained its strong performance throughout the year, supported by its diverse product lineup and relatively restrained price increases. Its shipments recorded double-digit year-over-year growth.

Apple’s newly released iPhones received a better-than-expected market reception. However, shipments declined slightly year-over-year due to fewer models available this year.

Other major Chinese smartphone brands faced significant challenges but continued to demonstrate varying degrees of resilience under pressure.

Among them, Honor was the only major manufacturer to record quarter-over-quarter shipment growth, suggesting a potential rebound.

IDC says it expects component costs “ to remain elevated over the next several quarters,” which will in turn keep increasing device prices and stretch replacement cycles further as consumers “accept and adapt to higher prices.”

The company doesn’t expect cost pressures to subside “through much of 2027, with the market likely to continue experiencing significant declines.”

For IDC’s full report, follow this link.

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