China's smartphone market showed signs of stabilization in April 2026, with both overall handset shipments and smartphone shipments returning to year-over-year growth, according to new figures released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).
CAICT said China's total mobile phone shipments reached 25.73 million units in April, up 2.8% year-over-year. Smartphone shipments rose even faster, increasing 12.3% year-over-year to 25.04 million units and accounting for 97.3% of total handset shipments. The report also showed that 5G phones represented 96.1% of all shipments during the month.
Domestic Chinese brands remained dominant, shipping 22.14 million units in April, up 2.9% year-over-year and representing 86.1% of the market. Foreign-branded phones, including Apple's iPhone lineup, also benefited from the market rebound, with shipments rising 1.8% year-over-year to 3.59 million units, according to calculations based on the CAICT data cited by Reuters and 9to5Mac.
The stronger April performance suggests replacement demand may be improving after several weak quarters. However, the broader market trend remains fragile. CAICT data showed total handset shipments in China fell 8.6% year-over-year to 86.54 million units in the first four months of 2026, while smartphone shipments declined 5.5% to 82.08 million units over the same period.
New model launches also slowed as vendors adopted a more cautious approach amid uncertain consumer demand. CAICT reported that 138 new handset models were launched between January and April, down 15.3% year-over-year, while new smartphone models slipped 0.9% to 115 units.
The April rebound is particularly significant for Apple, which has faced mounting pressure in China from local smartphone makers such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and Vivo. Apple has also reportedly been dealing with the impact of prolonged US-China trade tensions and intensifying competition in the premium smartphone segment.
Meanwhile, Apple could reportedly emerge as one of the biggest beneficiaries among foreign brands if the recovery trend continues. Still, with cumulative shipments for the first four months of the year remaining below 2025 levels, analysts say it is too early to conclude that China's smartphone market has fully recovered.
Credit: CAICT; compiled by DIGITIMES, May 2026
Article edited by Jack Wu
