Apple’s China smartphone sales jump 23% as overall market fell 4% to start 2026
by Horace Dediu
Acceleration
Apple reported a robust 23% year-on-year increase in iPhone sales in China during the first nine weeks of 2026, significantly outperforming the broader market amid a general downturn. While several Android manufacturers raised prices due to elevated memory chip costs, Apple bucked the trend.
Overall smartphone shipments in China declined 4% year-on-year during the January-to-early-March period, according to Counterpoint Research data released Thursday.
Source: MacDailyNews
NB: That's almost the whole quarter in the bag.…
Growth in China was outstanding last quarter and Apple signaled that the growth would continue. Now we see the dots connecting. Still impressed and perplexed by why this particular model became so popular.
1 comment
vhs ·
Just hypothesizing, but: The allure of a quite unique model might be special enough for many. The iPhone17 Pro is the first model with unibody/vaccum chamber, and at the same time the last high end model before the completely new "Fold" takes over the high end. If you go for the 17 Pro, you have taken the step to a new architecture, AND you can dismiss the next 4-5 generations in good conscience, as the "Pro" models will no longer be the ultimate. Kind of a sweet spot…