Shipments of foreign-branded smartphones in China, overwhelmingly dominated by Apple’s iPhones, surged 66.3% year-on-year to 3.28 million units in June, according to Reuters calculations based on data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).
Apple is by far the largest foreign brand in the Chinese market, routinely accounting for the bulk of non-domestic shipments. Other foreign makers, such as Samsung, hold only a negligible share. As a result, the CAICT’s “foreign-branded” category is widely viewed by analysts as a close proxy for iPhone performance.
The sharp rebound for foreign (mainly Apple) devices came even as the broader Chinese smartphone market continued to contract. Total phone shipments within China fell 15.3% from a year earlier to 19.15 million handsets in June, the government-affiliated research body reported on Wednesday.
The figures underscore a clear divergence in the world’s largest smartphone market. While overall demand remains soft amid economic pressures and longer upgrade cycles, Apple has been gaining ground relative to many domestic Android rivals. In the second quarter of 2026, Apple was one of only two major brands (alongside Huawei) to post shipment growth, lifting its market share to roughly 18%.
CAICT’s monthly data is closely tracked as an early signal of consumer demand and brand momentum in China. The June results suggest that premium foreign devices, led by Apple’s iPhone, continue to outperform the wider market even as total volumes stay under pressure.
MacDailyNews Take: We can hardly wait for Apple to release its June quarter earnings results tomorrow!
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