- Total domestic phone shipments fell to 22.87 million units in January, a 16.1% drop that extends a double-digit downward trend.
- Domestic brands showed strong resilience, capturing an 87.8% market share amid the broader industry slump.
Total domestic phone shipments fell to 22.87 million units in January, a 16.1% drop that extends a double-digit downward trend.
China's mobile phone market continued its sluggish streak at the start of 2026, with total shipments posting a double-digit year-on-year decline in January.
The drop signals that consumer demand in the world's largest smartphone market remains muted amid a complex macroeconomic environment.
Domestic phone shipments fell 16.1% to 22.86 million units in January, according to data released on March 4 by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).
This decline follows a steep 29.1% drop in December, highlighting the challenges facing the industry's recovery.
Smartphones and 5G devices continue to account for the vast majority of overall shipments.
Shipments of 5G phones reached 19.87 million units in January, down 15.9% from a year earlier, representing 86.9% of total phone shipments during the period.
Despite the broader market pressure, local smartphone makers maintained absolute dominance in their home market. Shipments from domestic brands stood at 20.07 million units in January, a 12.1% year-on-year decrease.
Domestic brands captured a commanding 87.8% market share in January as their decline was notably smaller than the market average. This indicates that overseas brands like Apple are facing increasingly fierce local competition in China.
On the product launch front, 37 new models hit the domestic market in January, up 2.8% year-on-year. This shows that major handset manufacturers are still actively positioning themselves, attempting to stimulate sluggish consumer demand by rolling out new products.
