The smartphone market in China saw only a small uptick during the second quarter of 2025. From April through June, the market grew just 1% compared to the same period last year. Yet, two major players, Huawei and Apple, managed to stand out and capture more of the action.
Counterpoint Research, a global firm that studies tech markets, noted that Huawei was poised to lead the pack. Their sales jumped by an impressive 12% during this period. Much of this boost came from the massive “618” shopping festival. This yearly event on June 18 brings together huge online platforms like JD.com, Tmall, Pinduoduo, and Douyin.
Ivan Lam, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, explained that Huawei’s sales truly soared during the 618 festival. He pointed out that Huawei’s core users remain fiercely loyal. They consistently choose new Huawei devices when it is time to upgrade.
Another significant factor lifting Huawei was a government initiative. Beijing rolled out a program encouraging consumers to buy fresh tech gadgets. This scheme offered rebates of up to 500 Yuan for new electronics. The offer included smartphones, tablets, smart bands, and smartwatches, as long as their price was under 6,000 Yuan.
However, this government program will be smaller in the second half of 2025. It will be interesting to watch how this affects Huawei’s future sales figures.
Apple also had a strong second quarter in China, according to Counterpoint Research. Their sales climbed 8%. This growth was largely thanks to big price cuts on the iPhone 16 series. Apple rolled out these discounts in May 2025, just before China’s 618 shopping festival kicked off.