Rising memory prices forcing vendor price increases dragged China's smartphone sales down 13% during the annual 618 shopping festival, despite Apple's aggressive iPhone promotions.
The annual 618 shopping festival, centered on June 18, is one of China's biggest retail events and a key sales period for smartphone makers. Counterpoint Research said higher memory costs left manufacturers with less room to offer deep discounts during the shopping event.
Apple outperformed most major smartphone brands during the 618 shopping festival despite a market slowdown. The company began promotions about one month before 618, offering up to CNY 2,000 ($294.97) in discounts and trade-in incentives on the iPhone 17 Pro lineup.
The promotions helped Apple climb to the No. 2 spot in China's smartphone market during the shopping period.
iPhone sales still fell 9% from 2024 because Apple had offered steeper promotions on the iPhone 16 lineup during the 2025 618 shopping festival, making it a difficult compare. Apple's year-over-year decline was smaller than the market's overall 13% drop.
Huawei was the only major smartphone brand to post year-over-year sales growth during the 618 shopping period. The company captured a 21% market share, driven by strong demand for the Enjoy 90 Pro Max and Mate 80.
China smartphone sales by brand during Weeks 22 through 25. Image credit: Counterpoint ResearchCounterpoint's preliminary figures showed Huawei's sales rose 19% from 2025, while Apple fell 9%, OPPO declined 12%, vivo dropped 16%, Xiaomi fell 24%, Honor declined 33%, and the "Others" category dropped 39%.
The firm attributed the market decline to rising memory prices, which left smartphone makers with less room for deep discounts, and price increases for many. Vendors also scaled back promotions instead of matching the aggressive offers seen during the 2025 618 shopping festival.
The Enjoy 90 Pro Max became Huawei's best-selling smartphone because of its battery life and value-focused positioning. The Mate 80 also benefited from promotional pricing and an already competitive retail price.
Vendors expect a slower second half
Other Android brands still placed devices such as the OPPO Reno 16, Honor X70, vivo S60, and Redmi K90 among the top 10 best-selling smartphones during the shopping period. OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, and Honor still posted double-digit year-over-year sales declines during the same period.
The 618 shopping festival and the first wave of post-college-exam smartphone purchases lifted sales from May into June. China's smartphone market is expected to slow seasonally after that increase in demand.
Vendors and supply chain partners have signaled that higher prices are likely to continue through the second half of 2026. Some consumers with immediate upgrade plans brought purchases forward to the 618 shopping festival.
Smartphone makers also adopted more conservative shipment plans. China's smartphone market is expected to post a double-digit decline in shipments during 2026.
