The year 2026 has indeed proven to be a challenging one for Chinese smartphone manufacturers.

The substantial hike in memory chip prices has dramatically altered the cost structure of smartphones, resulting in a persistent downturn in sales for Chinese brands like Xiaomi, OPPO, and VIVO.

A striking observation is that low-end models have been hit harder than high-end ones. Consequently, leading brands such as Apple and Samsung have managed to expand their market presence.

This prompts the question: For Chinese smartphone brands, have the increased sales of Apple and Samsung had a more pronounced effect overseas or within the Chinese market?

Leveraging third-quarter data, we've recently assessed the overseas market share proportions for the three prominent brands: Xiaomi, OPPO, and VIVO.

As illustrated in the figure below, derived from IDC data, domestic sales, and global sales figures, Xiaomi's overseas share stands at 73.3%, OPPO's at 64.1%, and VIVO's at 52.2%. The overseas share for all three major brands remains above 50%.

When compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, Xiaomi's share has dipped by 0.2 percentage points, OPPO's has surged by 6.4 percentage points, and VIVO's has dropped by 3.1 percentage points.

This suggests that over the past three quarters, Xiaomi and VIVO have experienced slightly steeper declines in overseas sales compared to domestic sales. Consequently, their overseas market share proportions have slightly decreased, although the disparity between domestic and overseas declines is not substantial for all.

OPPO's scenario differs somewhat. Its overseas market share proportion has climbed by 7.2 percentage points, indicating that its overseas sales have been relatively resilient, while its domestic sales have taken a more significant hit.

Nevertheless, overall, these three major brands have faced a tough year, with notable declines in total sales. The price surge in memory chips has had a profound impact on the shipment of low-end models, whereas high-end models have been relatively unscathed.

As depicted in the figure above, this represents a prior comparison of the average prices of the five major manufacturers in the first quarter of 2026, as statistically compiled by institutions. It's evident that Apple commands the highest average price, followed by Samsung. Hence, these two major manufacturers have been less affected, while OPPO, VIVO, and Xiaomi, with lower average prices, have experienced more pronounced impacts.