Smartphone Sales in China Drop 13% During 618 Festival
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 22 hours ago
0mins
Source: seekingalpha
- Sales Decline: According to Counterpoint Research, smartphone sales in China fell 13% year-over-year during the month-long 618 shopping festival, primarily due to handset makers scaling back discounts to offset rising memory chip costs, highlighting ongoing weakness in consumer demand.
- Huawei's Strong Performance: Huawei led the market with a 21% share, driven by strong demand for the Enjoy 90 Pro Max and Mate 80, supported by competitive pricing and festival promotions, making it the only major brand to post year-over-year growth during this period.
- Apple's Sales Dynamics: Apple climbed to the No. 2 position by launching promotions about a month before June 18, offering discounts of up to CNY 2,000 on the iPhone 17 Pro series, although its sales declined 9% year-over-year due to more aggressive discounts on the iPhone 16 lineup during last year's event.
- Market Outlook: While the 618 shopping festival and the first wave of post-college-exam upgrades drove a month-on-month recovery in June, the market is expected to enter a seasonal slowdown afterward, with frequent signals from smartphone vendors and supply chain partners indicating that price hikes are likely to persist in the second half of the year.
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Analyst Views on AAPL
Wall Street analysts forecast AAPL stock price to fall
27 Analyst Rating
17 Buy
9 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 308.630
Low
239.00
Averages
306.89
High
350.00
Current: 308.630
Low
239.00
Averages
306.89
High
350.00
About AAPL
Apple Inc. designs, manufactures and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related services. Its product categories include iPhone, Mac, iPad, Wearables, Home and Accessories. Its services include advertising, AppleCare, cloud services, digital content, and payment services. The Company operates various platforms, including the App Store, that allow customers to discover and download applications and digital content, such as books, music, video, games and podcasts. It also offers digital content through subscription-based services, including Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, Apple News+, and Apple TV+. Its wearables include smartwatches, wireless headphones, and spatial computers. Its products include iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16, iPhone 15, iPhone 14, iPhone SE, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, Mac Pro, iPad Pro, iPad Air, AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Huawei's Strong Performance: Huawei led the market with a 21% share, driven by strong demand for the Enjoy 90 Pro Max and Mate 80, supported by competitive pricing and festival promotions, making it the only major brand to post year-over-year growth during this period.
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- Market Sentiment: Despite strong demand expectations for the foldable iPhone through the end of 2026, retail sentiment for AAPL dipped from neutral to bearish on Monday, reflecting cautious investor attitudes towards the new product launch, even as message volume surged by 40% over the past week.
- Pricing and Competition: Kuo estimates the foldable iPhone will retail between $2,300 and $2,500, which may attract some high-end consumers; however, compared to the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, which are expected to ship 20 to 22 million units in Q3, the foldable model faces significant competitive pressure in the market.
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See More
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- Market Capital Loss: Apple lost approximately $500 billion in market cap over 25 days in June, equivalent to the total market value of AbbVie, Caterpillar, or Mastercard, indicating heightened investor concerns about its future performance.
- Price Increase Impact: The company announced price hikes for its Mac and iPad products, with CEO Tim Cook describing the memory and storage shortage as a 'hundred-year flood,' which could significantly impact iPhone pricing and increase consumer purchasing pressure.
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- Uncertainty Over Siri Update: The lack of a clear timeline for the new Siri version discussed at the 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference led to a 2.6% drop in stock price, reflecting investor skepticism about Apple's AI capabilities and potential customer excitement.
- Price Increases Announced: Apple announced price hikes for its Mac and iPad products due to a surge in memory and storage demand, with CEO Tim Cook describing the shortage as a
See More
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- Sales Decline: According to Counterpoint Research, smartphone sales in China fell 13% year-over-year during the month-long 618 shopping festival, primarily due to handset makers scaling back discounts to offset rising memory chip costs, highlighting ongoing weakness in consumer demand.
- Huawei's Strong Performance: Huawei led the market with a 21% share, driven by strong demand for the Enjoy 90 Pro Max and Mate 80, supported by competitive pricing and festival promotions, making it the only major brand to post year-over-year growth during this period.
- Apple's Sales Dynamics: Apple climbed to the No. 2 position by launching promotions about a month before June 18, offering discounts of up to CNY 2,000 on the iPhone 17 Pro series, although its sales declined 9% year-over-year due to more aggressive discounts on the iPhone 16 lineup during last year's event.
- Market Outlook: While the 618 shopping festival and the first wave of post-college-exam upgrades drove a month-on-month recovery in June, the market is expected to enter a seasonal slowdown afterward, with frequent signals from smartphone vendors and supply chain partners indicating that price hikes are likely to persist in the second half of the year.
See More
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- Diversified Business Transformation: Beyond rocket launches, SpaceX is rapidly expanding its Starlink internet service and xAI artificial intelligence infrastructure, showcasing its potential as a conglomerate and attracting significant investor interest.
- Future Plans Attract Investment: SpaceX's ambitious future plans, including establishing data centers in space and enabling everyday human space travel, spark investor interest, mirroring Tesla's successful trajectory and potentially leading to long-term investment returns.
- High Valuation and Risks: Despite projected revenues of $18.7 billion in 2025, SpaceX's price-to-sales (P/S) ratio stands at 112, indicating high investment risk at current valuations, prompting investors to carefully assess its long-term investment value.
See More
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- Stock Price Volatility: Despite SpaceX's stock remaining relatively flat during its first 15 trading days, experiencing ups and downs, the underlying business potential, particularly with the rapid growth of Starlink and xAI, continues to attract investor interest.
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See More
