Apple jumps to second place in China as phone sales hit a 14-year low

Fewer people are buying phones in China, but Apple is doing better than almost everyone else there. Research firm Counterpoint says phone shipments in China fell 10% in the third quarter of 2026, the lowest in 14 years. Apple still moved from sixth place to second.

What changed

Shipments are the phones makers send out to stores and sellers. Counterpoint says Apple made up 19.5% of China's shipments in the quarter, up 4.8 percentage points from a year earlier. Only Huawei ranked higher, at 21.3%, up 5.3 points.

Those two were the only brands among the top six to gain share. The rest lost ground:

• vivo: down 2.8 points to 15.2%
• OPPO: down 1.3 points to 15.1%
• Xiaomi: down 1.6 points to 13.5%
• HONOR: down 2.2 points to 12.7%

Why Apple stood out

Counterpoint points partly to the iPhone 18 Pro. Sales in its first three weeks in China were up 23.5% compared with the iPhone 17 Pro. The firm also says the delayed launch of the base iPhone 18 may have nudged some shoppers to buy a Pro model instead.

A separate report from IDC shows a similar pattern, with different numbers. IDC says China's shipments fell 15.4%. Apple's share rose to 17.8%, even though its iPhone shipments fell 4.3%. Apple's share can grow while its own sales shrink because the whole market shrank faster.

The bigger picture

The slump is not limited to China. IDC estimates worldwide smartphone shipments fell a record 22% from a year earlier. Apple had the smallest drop among the top five makers, at 4%. The reports blame rising memory prices, meaning the cost of the chips that store a phone's apps and data.

What it means for buyers

Counterpoint says higher phone prices are making shoppers hold off on upgrades, wait for promotional periods, or buy refurbished phones. It warns this could put more pressure on demand in the fourth quarter. The reports cover China, but the same advice fits any buyer facing higher prices: waiting for a sale or considering a refurbished phone may save money.