China Smartphone Shipments Slip 1% in Q1 as Huawei Leads and Apple Gains

Overview

• Omdia reports Mainland China shipped 69.8 million smartphones in the first quarter, down 1% from a year earlier.
• Huawei led the market with 13.9 million units for a 20% share, with Apple close behind at 13.1 million and 19%.
• OPPO ranked third with 11.0 million units, vivo placed fourth with 10.5 million, Xiaomi was fifth with 8.7 million, and Samsung did not make the top five.
• Omdia says Xiaomi, Honor, OPPO, and vivo raised prices on select phones by 10% to 30% as DRAM and NAND costs jumped, which hurt buying interest.
• Omdia warns the memory squeeze could shrink China’s 2026 market by about 10%, and it says vendors are banking on flagship, foldable, and AI features to steady sales.