Huawei and Apple Lead in Smartphone Shipments in China at the Beginning of 2026

According to Omdia's market research report, the volume of smartphone shipments in China reached 69.8 million units in the first quarter of 2026, a 1% decrease compared to the same period last year (year-on-year/yoy).

"The rise in component costs, especially for memory, has prompted major vendors to raise product prices, further prolonging the market's declining trend," Omdia wrote in its report on Tuesday (April 14, 2026).

In the first quarter of this year, Huawei held a 20% market share of smartphones in China, shipping 13.9 million units, a 7% increase (yoy).

Apple followed closely, shipping 13.1 million smartphones, a 42% increase in volume year-on-year (yoy).

Unlike many other smartphone manufacturers that raised their product prices, Huawei and Apple took the opposite approach.

They chose not to increase prices and used the cost pressures in the market as an opportunity to capture market share.

"This strategy made their products more attractive to consumers and drove stronger first-quarter results," said Omdia's Principal Analyst Hayden Hou in his report.

Then, Oppo's shipments, including OnePlus and Realme, fell by 3% (yoy) to 11 million units, Vivo's shipments, including iQOO, stagnated at 10.5 million units, and Xiaomi's shipments plummeted by 35% (yoy) to 8.7 million units in the first quarter of 2026.

Subsequently, the combined shipments of other smartphone brands in China shrank by 7% (yoy) to 12.7 million units during this period.