The China Academy of Knowledge and Communications Generation (CAICT) has launched its newest record on cell phone shipments in China, masking April in addition to the primary 4 months of 2026. Listed here are the main points.
Apple more likely to have the benefit of market-wide restoration
As noticed by means of Reuters, the CAICT has launched up to date numbers on telephone shipments within the Chinese language marketplace.
The record compares year-over-year efficiency for the month of April, in addition to the January thru April duration.
In keeping with the CAICT, telephone shipments in China reached 25.7 million devices in April, a 2.8% build up year-over-year. Home manufacturers noticed the majority of that, with 22.1 million shipped devices (86.1% of general shipments), up 2.9% from April 2025, leaving simply 3.59 million shipped devices from overseas manufacturers.
As Reuters identified, which means “foreign-branded cell phones in China for April, together with Apple’s iPhones, have been up 1.8% from the similar month closing yr.”
In relation to smartphones particularly, the record notes that shipments reached 25 million devices in April, up 12.3% year-over-year, and 97.3% of general telephone shipments.
Having a look on the January thru April duration, China’s home telephone marketplace reached 86.5 million shipped devices, down 8.6% yr over yr.
Smartphones noticed a 5.5% year-over-year drop to 82 million devices, and 94.8% of general shipped telephones.
CAICT’s record additionally notes that the choice of new fashions additionally declined, with 138 new cell phone fashions between January and April, down 15.3% from a yr previous, 115 of which (or, 83.3%) have been smartphones, down 0.9% year-over-year.
9to5Mac’s take
These days’s record in large part aligns with what different assets, together with Counterpoint Analysis, had been pronouncing in regards to the broader smartphone marketplace amid rising pricing drive brought about by means of reminiscence shortages around the business.
Over the last few months, a couple of analysts have famous that lower-end telephones are extra uncovered to that drive, since they usually raise thinner margins than mid-range and high-end smartphones. Samsung, for example, has needed to lift costs on a number of fashions, whilst Apple has thus far stored iPhone costs unchanged.
That might assist give an explanation for the call for slowdown noticed around the January thru April duration in China.
That stated, it’s attention-grabbing to look call for select up once more in April. In relation to Apple particularly, within the quarter ended March 28, the corporate reported a 28% year-over-year build up in Better China income, following a 38% build up in Q1 2026, as iPhone gross sales within the area persevered to get better.
For the reason that CAICT’s record doesn’t spoil shipments down past total and home emblem shipments, it’ll stay to be noticed how the April uptick will replicate on iPhone gross sales performances.
But when Apple controlled to carry its personal even all over the wider Q1 hunch, China may as soon as once more be a number of the vibrant spots within the corporate’s Q3 2026 income record, which might be launched in past due July or early August.
You’ll be able to learn the CAICT’s complete record right here.
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