China's smartphone market shrank 2% in first 8 weeks of Q3, data shows

China's smartphone market declined 2% in the first eight weeks of the third quarter, with Apple posting a 6% decrease ahead of its new iPhone launch on Friday, according to market data from research firm Counterpoint Research.

Leading Chinese brands Honor and Vivo also saw their shipments decreasing 9% and 5% respectively during the same period versus a year earlier, while Huawei and Oppo boosted sales by 2% and 4% each.

The overall market weakness reflects subdued consumer demand as buyers in the world's second-largest economy pulled back on spending.


"We're seeing good pre-sales momentum for the iPhone 17 series," said Ivan Lam, a senior analyst at Counterpoint, adding that interest in the base and Pro Max models could offset declines from the past couple of months and deliver a decent quarter for Apple.

Counterpoint projects a slight decline in China's smartphone market in the third quarter and flat growth for full-year 2025.