China sales surge 23%
Apple’s China smartphone sales jumped 23% in the first nine weeks of 2026, defying a broader market downturn as Android rivals raised prices amid memory chip cost pressure. The bump underscores Apple’s pricing power and gives product teams a strong demand signal to feed back into global planning. (reuters.com)
E-commerce discounts and official qualification of the base iPhone 17 for China’s government subsidy program were cited by Counterpoint as material contributors to Apple’s stronger sell-through in the January–early‑March window. (money.usnews.com) Counterpoint told Reuters that Apple’s tighter control of its supply chain gives it scope to absorb part of the rising memory-related margin pressure rather than pass costs fully to consumers. (money.usnews.com) OPPO and OnePlus implemented price uplifts on legacy A- and K-series models starting March 16, with some increases reported in the range of 200–500 yuan per unit. (techinasia.com) Vivo (and its iQOO sub‑brand) announced suggested‑retail price adjustments taking effect March 18 as the companies pointed explicitly to surging global semiconductor and memory costs. (chinabizinsider.com) Counterpoint’s near‑term outlook for China flags sustained pressure from March through May and a likely temporary rebound around the mid‑June “618” shopping festival, while the broader memory crunch is forecast to persist through 2026 and into 2027. (money.usnews.com) (counterpointresearch.com) Counterpoint’s BOM modeling shows DRAM/NAND pressure has already lifted component costs materially across bands—raising ASP forecasts and prompting a revised 2026 shipment outlook that disproportionately hurts low‑end volume players while favoring vertically integrated firms such as Apple, Samsung and domestically‑sourced Huawei suppliers. (counterpointresearch.com)
