Apple and Huawei are the only phone brands to grow in China this quarter

Apple captured 19.5% of China's smartphone market in the third quarter of 2026, according to a report from Counterpoint Research. This share represents a 4.8 percentage point increase from the same period last year. The jump moved the company from sixth place to second in the national rankings.

The broader market contracted sharply. Counterpoint noted that total smartphone shipments in China fell 10% year over year. This marks the weakest level for the industry in 14 years. Rising memory prices have continued to pressure manufacturers across the sector.

Only two of the six leading brands grew their market share during the quarter. Huawei held the top spot with 21.3% of shipments, up 5.3 points from a year ago. Apple was the only other firm to gain ground. Every other major player lost market share.

Vivo saw its share drop 2.8 points to 15.2%. OPPO slipped 1.3 points to 15.1%. Xiaomi declined 1.6 points to 13.5%, and HONOR fell 2.2 points to 12.7%. Other manufacturers combined lost 2 points, ending the quarter with a 2.8% share.

Counterpoint attributed Apple's rise to the performance of the iPhone 18 Pro series. The firm stated the lineup saw a strong launch in China. Sales in the first three weeks were up 23.5% compared with the iPhone 17 Pro series. The report suggested that a delayed release of the base iPhone 18 may have pushed some buyers toward the Pro models.

These figures differ slightly from a report released by IDC earlier in the month. IDC estimated that China shipments fell 15.4% year over year. That firm calculated Apple's share at 17.8% and noted that iPhone shipments dropped 4.3% during the period. IDC also reported that global smartphone shipments fell a record 22% in the quarter.

Counterpoint expects difficult conditions to persist in the fourth quarter. Higher prices are leading consumers to delay upgrades or wait for promotional periods. Some buyers are also turning to refurbished devices. These behaviors could add further pressure to demand in the coming months.