China Smartphone Sales Drop 13% YoY During 618 Shopping Festival
nashnova research
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.
市场有风险，内容仅供研究参考，不构成投资建议。