Apple grew iPhone shipments in China by 24.4% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, making it the fastest‑growing smartphone brand in a market that shrank overall. Total shipments fell 4.3% to roughly 66 million units, the fifth consecutive quarter of decline.

The only major vendors to grow were Apple and Huawei; the latter up 19.4%. Apple’s share rose from 13.9% to 18.1%, second only to Huawei’s 22.6%. Xiaomi suffered the steepest fall among the big brands, with shipments down 21.7%.

IDC attributes the divergence largely to how vendors reacted to rising memory and component costs amid the AI infrastructure build‑out. Most Android vendors raised prices from late March, but Apple and Huawei held theirs steady, instead introducing targeted promotions. Apple’s early warnings of upcoming price increases in the second half of the year encouraged buyers to purchase iPhone 17 models sooner.

IDC forecasts China’s year‑over‑year decline could widen to around 20% in H2 2026, just before Apple is expected to launch its new iPhone 18 Pro models and first foldable iPhone. Customers are postponing upgrades rather than walking away, so a recovery could arrive around 2028–29 as a fresh replacement cycle comes due.