China Smartphone Sales Drop 13% YoY During 618 Shopping Festival
Claire Weston
Counterpoint Research data shows China smartphone sales fell 13% year-on-year during the 2026 618 festival, as rising memory-chip costs squeezed promotional budgets; Huawei was the only major brand to grow, and second-half price hikes will test demand resilience.
Why did phones stop selling this 618?
The core driver: memory-chip costs rose, forcing vendors to cut back on discounts. Promotional intensity fell well short of last year's level.
This means → consumers weren't unwilling to buy — vendors simply had less room to subsidize. Higher costs meant thinner promotions, which meant fewer sales.
According to Counterpoint Research, nearly every major brand posted a decline, with the overall market down 13% year-on-year.
How did Huawei buck the trend?
Huawei was the only major brand to grow year-on-year during 618, leading the market with a 21% share.
Its key models — Enjoy 90 Pro Max and Mate 80 — saw strong demand, supported by competitive pricing and festival promotions.
In plain terms = while rivals raised prices and trimmed discounts, Huawei priced aggressively and promoted effectively, capturing the share others gave up.
Apple started promotions a month early — why did it still fall?
Apple moved up to second place during 618, launching promotions roughly a month ahead of the festival. It offered up to RMB 2,000 off the iPhone 17 Pro series through official price cuts, platform subsidies, and trade-in programs.
Yet Apple's sales still fell 9% year-on-year. This means → last year's deeper iPhone 16 discounts set a high base, and even an earlier start this year could not close the gap.
How did the domestic Android camp perform?
OPPO, Honor, vivo, and Xiaomi all posted double-digit sales declines, dragged down mainly by weaker promotions.
Individual hits still broke through: OPPO Reno 16, Honor X70, vivo S60, and Redmi K90 all made the festival best-seller list.
In plain terms = the market shrank, but standout products still sold — consumers have demand, they just need a strong enough reason (price or product) to spend.
Will the slide continue in the second half?
Counterpoint Research notes that 618, combined with post-gaokao first-wave upgrades, drove a month-on-month rebound in June — but the market is expected to enter a seasonal lull afterward.
Frequent signals from vendors and the supply chain have already set consumer expectations: price increases in the second half are highly likely.
This means → the 618 bounce was promotion-driven and unlikely to last. Whether demand can stabilize under rising prices is the industry's key test for the rest of the year.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.