China Smartphone Shipments Fall 15.4% as Huawei Extends Lead

Created by Ben Voss
China Smartphone Shipments Fall 15.4% as Huawei Extends Lead

China’s smartphone shipments fell 15.4% year over year in the third quarter to 57.9 million units, marking a sixth consecutive quarterly decline as weak consumer spending and higher memory costs pressured phone makers.

57.9 million phones shipped

Research firm IDC reported that rising prices for memory chips and other components contributed to the decline. Vendors have been passing higher costs to consumers, pushing retail prices higher even as shipments shrink, Arthur Guo, an IDC senior analyst, told Reuters.

The third-quarter contraction shows that China’s smartphone market remains under pressure even as manufacturers continue releasing new devices. The decline also adds to broader concerns about component costs and replacement cycles across the industry.

Huawei leads Apple

Huawei was the only major vendor to post double-digit annual growth. It shipped 12.2 million smartphones and held a 21% market share, according to IDC. The firm said Huawei’s broad product lineup and relatively modest price increases helped it extend its run.

Apple ranked second with a 17.8% share, although its shipments in China fell 4.3%. Reuters reported that Apple’s new iPhones sold better than expected, but the company’s smaller model lineup weighed on total shipments.

Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi saw shipments decline 17.6%, 24.9% and 20.4%, respectively. Honor was the only leading brand whose shipments increased from the previous quarter, which IDC said could indicate a possible rebound.

Memory shortage raises prices

IDC’s latest global forecast shows the pressure is not limited to China. The research firm said in August that worldwide smartphone shipments were expected to fall 16.7% in 2026 to just over 1 billion units. It also forecast a 27.6% increase in the average selling price to $581 as NAND and DRAM costs continued rising.

Those conditions favor vendors with scale, supply access and stronger pricing power. In China, the latest IDC figures show Huawei gaining share while several large competitors absorb substantial shipment declines.

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