KSL reported on October 13, 2026, that IDC estimated China smartphone shipments in a third quarter at 57.9 million units, down 15.4% year over year. KSL did not specify the quarter’s year and said the market had logged a sixth consecutive quarterly decline. Huawei led the reported figures with 12.2 million shipments and a 21% share. (KSL)
The reported vendor figures
KSL put Apple in second place, with 17.8% market share and a 4.3% year-over-year shipment decline. It reported steeper shipment declines for OPPO (17.6%), vivo (24.9%) and Xiaomi (20.4%). These are the vendor figures KSL attributed to IDC for the quarter it covered. (KSL)
KSL linked the reported downturn to weak consumer spending and rising memory-chip and other component costs. Its figures describe shipments—the flow of phones into the market—not a tally of purchases by consumers.
IDC’s Q2 2026 figures
In a July 14, 2026 analysis, IDC reported preliminary China smartphone shipments of about 66 million in Q2, down 4.3% year over year. IDC called it the fifth consecutive quarterly decline. Those Q2 figures provide separate market context for KSL’s later-published report; they do not verify its third-quarter estimate. (IDC)
| Period | Smartphone shipments | Year-over-year change |
| Q2 2026, IDC | About 66 million | −4.3% |
| Third quarter in KSL’s report | 57.9 million | −15.4% |
Costs, pricing and demand in IDC’s Q2 account
For Q2 2026, IDC said rising memory and other component costs led most Android vendors to raise prices or trim configurations, cooling upgrade demand. It also cited fading government-subsidy support. During the 618 shopping festival, smartphone sales fell close to 15% year over year—a separate sales measure for the festival, not the quarter’s shipment decline. (IDC)
