China's March 2026 Domestic Handset Shipments Down 7% YoY, Up 26% MoM
CAICT, 4/27/26
A total of 21.15 mln mobile handsets were shipped in China in March 2026, down 7.1% YoY, but up 26.0% 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 March, 19.67 mln, or 93.0%, were 5G handsets, 1.48 mln, or 7.0%, 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 3-month period from Jan-Mar 2026, a total of 60.81 mln mobile handsets were shipped in China, down 12.7% YoY. Of this total, 55.47 mln, or 91.2%, were 5G handsets, and 5.34 mln, or 8.8%, were 4G handsets.
A total of 17.79 mln handsets from domestic handset brands were shipped in China in March, down 14.8% YoY, but up 23.9% MoM, accounting for 84.1% of total handset shipments. Shipments of smartphones comprised 20.09 mln units, down 6.3% YoY, but up 23.6% MoM, accounting for 95.0% of total handsets shipped in China in March.
In the 3-month period from Jan-Mar 2026, 52.22 mln handsets from domestic handset brands were shipped in China, down 14.0% YoY, accounting for 85.9% of total handset shipments. During the same 3-month period, shipments of smartphones comprised 57.04 mln, or 93.8%, of total handsets shipped in China.
During the month of March, 19 new handset models were released in China, down 70.3% YoY and 17.4% MoM. Of the total new handset models released during the month, 13, or 68.4%, were 5G models, and 6, or 31.6%, were 4G models; all 19 of the new handset models were from domestic brands, and 15, or 78.9%, were smartphone models.
In the 3-month period from Jan-Mar 2026, 79 new handset models were released in China, down 30.1% YoY; of this total, 48, or 60.8%, were 5G models, and 31, or 39.2%, were 4G models. Of the total new handset models released from Jan-Mar 2026, 75, or 94.9%, were from domestic brands, and 65, or 82.3%, 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
Sending
