China's smartphone market experienced a 13% decline during the annual 618 shopping festival, driven by rising memory prices that limited vendor discounts. Despite the overall slowdown, Apple managed to secure the second position in market share, offering substantial promotions including up to CNY 2,000 ($294.97) in discounts and trade-in incentives on its iPhone 17 Pro lineup.

While Apple's year-over-year sales still fell 9%, this performance outpaced most competitors. Huawei was the sole major brand to achieve growth, with sales up 19% and capturing a 21% market share, largely due to strong demand for its Enjoy 90 Pro Max and Mate 80 models.

Other brands like OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, and Honor saw double-digit percentage drops. Industry analysts anticipate that elevated memory prices will persist through the latter half of 2026, suggesting continued pressure on smartphone pricing and potentially further shipment declines for the Chinese market this year. This trend forces manufacturers to balance competitive pricing with increasing component costs.