Apple Takes Second Place in China During 618 Shopping Festival as Overall Sales Drop 13%

Heavy iPhone discounts helped Apple climb to second place during China's annual 618 shopping festival, even as overall smartphone sales fell 13% year over year. New data from Counterpoint Research shows Apple's early promotions lifted it to an 18% market share despite weaker consumer demand and rising component costs that weighed on the broader market.



Apple launched its promotional campaign roughly a month before the June 18 shopping day, offering total savings of up to CNY 2,000 on the iPhone 17 Pro series through a combination of official discounts, e-commerce platform offers, and trade-in incentives. Those price cuts, which first appeared in May, quickly translated into stronger sales and helped lift Apple to the No. 2 spot during the four-week period from May 25 to June 21. Despite the rebound, Apple's sales were still down 9% year over year, which Counterpoint attributed to less aggressive discounting than the company offered for the iPhone 16 series during last year's festival.


Huawei led the market with a 21% share and was the only major brand to post year-over-year growth, with sales up 19%. Apple followed with an 18% share, tied with OPPO, while vivo captured 17%, Xiaomi 14%, and HONOR 10%. Apple's 9% decline was the smallest among the major brands that posted lower sales, compared with declines ranging from 12% to 33% for its Chinese Android rivals.

Counterpoint said rising memory prices limited promotional activity across the industry during this year's festival, further suppressing already weak consumer demand. The research firm expects China's smartphone market to post a double-digit decline in shipments for the full year as manufacturers prioritize profitability over shipment volume.