Huawei wins! China’s mainland smartphone shipments top the charts in Q1 2026: Apple is overtaken.
Omdia released its Q1 2026 data for the Chinese mainland smartphone market. Affected by rising costs of core components such as storage and price increases by some brands, overall market shipments reached 69.8 million units in the quarter, a slight decrease of 1% year-on-year, with the overall market continuing its downward trend.
In terms of brand landscape, the concentration of leading brands has further increased. Huawei maintained its leading position with 13.9 million units shipped and a 20% market share, a year-on-year increase of 7%, demonstrating strong growth. Apple ranked second with 13.1 million units shipped and a 19% market share, a significant year-on-year increase of 42%, showing outstanding performance in the high-end market.
Omdia’s chief analyst, Hayden Hou, pointed out that rising storage prices have prompted some brands to raise retail prices, which has dampened consumer spending to some extent. Huawei and Apple, however, did not raise prices significantly, allowing them to expand their market share and becoming the two brands with the best performance this quarter.
Senior analyst Lucas Zhong believes that under cost pressure, mid-range and entry-level models are under significant pressure, and products that focus on cost-effectiveness face greater pressure to raise prices; while flagship and foldable screen innovations are expected to stabilize demand. Hardware peripheral upgrades and AI intelligent agents will become the core of competition among manufacturers this year, and breakthroughs in AI functions are the key to building brand barriers.
Data shows that Huawei, Apple, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, and Honor, the six leading manufacturers, collectively account for 94% of the market share, demonstrating significant advantages in supply chain, R&D, channels, and ecosystem. Omdia predicts that due to factors such as cost and demand, smartphone shipments in mainland China may decline by approximately 10% in 2026.
Editor’s Review:
The Q1 data reflects a clear trend in the domestic mobile phone market: in a cycle of rising costs, brands with stable pricing and solid technology and ecosystems are better positioned to weather the storm. The strength of Huawei and Apple underscores the importance of premiumization and resilience, while the space for smaller brands continues to shrink, and the Matthew effect among leading brands intensifies.
For the Android camp, simply focusing on cost-effectiveness is unsustainable. Hardware innovation and the practical application of AI are the core paths to maintaining market share and breaking through the fierce competition. Under the downward pressure throughout the year, whoever can respond quickly to cost fluctuations and refine differentiated experiences will gain the upper hand in the second half of the game.
Kazam is Focused on creating and reporting timely content in technology with a special focus on mobile phone technology. Kazam reports, analyzes, and reviews recent trends, news and rumors in mobile phone technology and provides the best possible insights to enhance your experience and knowledge.
