Overview
- OPPO and vivo have raised prices on select existing models in China this month to gauge demand and guide upcoming launch pricing, according to Counterpoint.
- Counterpoint reports iPhone sales in China rose 23% in the first nine weeks of 2026, helped by e-commerce discounts and eligibility for state subsidies on the base iPhone 17.
- China’s overall smartphone market fell about 4% year over year during the January to early March period.
- Surging AI data-center demand is tightening DRAM and storage supply, lifting component prices and pressuring handset makers’ margins.
- Counterpoint expects market pressure to persist through May with potential relief around June’s 618 promotions, and says Huawei could gain share thanks to cheaper domestic memory sourcing.