Apple takes second in China

China's smartphone market shrank to its smallest size in 14 years during the third quarter of 2026. Counterpoint Research reported that total shipments dropped 10% compared with the same period last year. Rising memory prices played a key role in the industry-wide decline.

Apple stood out from the rest of the field. The company captured 19.5% of smartphone shipments in China, an increase of 4.8 percentage points from a year earlier. This jump moved Apple from sixth place to second, placing it directly behind Huawei.

Huawei maintained its lead with a 21.3% market share, up 5.3 percentage points from the previous year. It was the only other major brand to grow. Vivo lost 2.8 points to finish with 15.2%, and OPPO slipped 1.3 points to 15.1%. Xiaomi declined 1.6 points to 13.5%, while HONOR fell 2.2 points to 12.7%. Smaller manufacturers combined ended the quarter with a 2.8% share.

Counterpoint attributed Apple's surge to the iPhone 18 Pro series. The firm noted the lineup saw a strong launch, with sales in the first three weeks up 23.5% year over year. The delayed release of the base iPhone 18 may have also pushed consumers toward the Pro models.

IDC released a different assessment just days before the Counterpoint report. That firm calculated a steeper 15.4% year-over-year drop in Chinese shipments. IDC also placed Apple's share at 17.8% and recorded a 4.3% decline in iPhone sales. The firm estimated that worldwide shipments fell a record 22% in the quarter.

Apple posted the smallest decline among the top five global manufacturers, dropping just 4%. Counterpoint warned that high prices may continue to slow demand in the fourth quarter. Consumers are increasingly waiting for sales or buying refurbished devices instead of upgrading to new models.