China's February 2026 Domestic Handset Shipments Down 15% YoY, 27% MoM
CAICT, 3/25/26
A total of 16.79 mln mobile handsets were shipped in China in February 2026, down 14.6% YoY and 26.6% MoM, according to new figures released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), a department of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
Of total shipments in February, 15.93 mln, or 94.9%, were 5G handsets, 0.86 mln, or 5.1%, were 4G handsets, and none were 3G and 2G handsets. Note that CAICT breaks out shipment figures only for 5G and 4G models, to the nearest 1,000 units and 10,000 units, respectively.
In the 2-month period from Jan-Feb 2026, a total of 39.66 mln mobile handsets were shipped in China, down 15.5% YoY. Of this total, 35.80 mln, or 90.3%, were 5G handsets, and 3.86 mln, or 9.7%, were 4G handsets.
A total of 14.36 mln handsets from domestic handset brands were shipped in China in February, down 15.7% YoY and 28.5% MoM, accounting for 85.5% of total handset shipments. Shipments of smartphones comprised 16.26 mln units, down 12.6% YoY and 21.4% MoM, accounting for 96.8% of total handsets shipped in China in February.
In the 2-month period from Jan-Feb 2026, 34.43 mln handsets from domestic handset brands were shipped in China, down 13.6% YoY, accounting for 86.8% of total handset shipments. During the same 2-month period, shipments of smartphones comprised 36.95 mln, or 93.2%, of total handsets shipped in China.
During the month of February, 23 new handset models were released in China, up 76.9% YoY, but down 37.8% MoM. Of the total new handset models released during the month, 15, or 65.2%, were 5G models, and 8, or 34.8%, were 4G models; all 23 of the new handset models were from domestic brands, and 18, or 78.3%, were smartphone models.
In the 2-month period from Jan-Feb 2026, 60 new handset models were released in China, up 22.4% YoY; of this total, 35, or 58.3%, were 5G models, and 25, or 41.7%, were 4G models. Of the total new handset models released from Jan-Feb 2026, 56, or 93.3%, were from domestic brands, and 50, or 83.3%, were smartphone models.
Editor's Note: CAICT's statistics cover domestically produced, domestically shipped handsets from both Chinese and foreign brands, but do not include imported handsets or exports of domestically produced units. Only handsets shipped through official channels are included, meaning grey market or knock-off handsets are not covered in CAICT's figures. "Shipped" means only that the manufacturer shipped the handset to a wholesaler or retailer, where it may or may not have been sold to a consumer during the month under discussion.
Keywords: handset smartphone wireless 4G MIIT 5G CAICT handset model shipment volume national statistics domestic vendor
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