Apple Climbs to Second Place in China as Smartphone Shipments Reach 14-Year Low

China's smartphone market sank to its weakest level in 14 years during the third quarter of 2026, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research. Shipments dropped 10% compared with the same period a year earlier, as rising memory prices continued to weigh on the industry.

Apple was a clear exception to the downturn. Counterpoint estimates the company took 19.5% of smartphone shipments in China during the quarter, an increase of 4.8 percentage points from a year ago. That lifted Apple from sixth place to second, behind only Huawei.

Huawei held a 21.3% share, up 5.3 percentage points year over year. Among the six leading brands, Huawei and Apple were the only two to gain shipment share. Every other major player lost ground.

Vivo fell 2.8 percentage points to 15.2%, while OPPO slipped 1.3 points to 15.1%. Xiaomi dropped 1.6 points to 13.5%, and HONOR declined 2.2 points to 12.7%. Other manufacturers combined lost 2 points and ended the quarter at 2.8%.

Counterpoint pointed to the iPhone 18 Pro series as one reason for Apple's jump. In its words, the lineup "saw a strong launch in China," with sales in the first three weeks up 23.5% year over year compared with the iPhone 17 Pro series. The research firm also suggested that the delayed arrival of the base iPhone 18 may have nudged some shoppers toward the Pro models, helping early sales.

The findings follow a separate report from IDC published a few days earlier, though the two firms' estimates differ. IDC said smartphone shipments in China fell 15.4% year over year in the third quarter, and that Apple's share of the total rose to 17.8% even as iPhone shipments declined 4.3%.

IDC also described a weak global picture. It estimated that worldwide smartphone shipments fell a record 22% year over year in the quarter. Apple posted the smallest decline among the top five manufacturers, at just 4%.

Looking ahead, Counterpoint warned that conditions could stay difficult. Higher smartphone prices are leading consumers to put off upgrades, wait for promotional periods or choose refurbished devices instead. That behavior could add further pressure to demand in the fourth quarter.