United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, according to data released by market research firm Counterpoint, Apple’s smartphone sales in China surged 23 percent in the first nine weeks of this year, bucking the trend of an overall market downturn and price increases by some Android phone brands due to rising memory chip costs.
From January to early March this year, China’s overall smartphone market shrank by four percent compared to the same period last year. Even with government subsidies introduced at the beginning of the year, it was unable to effectively boost weak consumer demand.
The Counterpoint report indicates that Apple’s strong control over its supply chain allows it to withstand the pressure of soaring memory chip costs more effectively than its competitors. Counterpoint anticipates that Apple will maintain its current pricing while competitors raise prices. The report stated “Apple is unlikely to follow suit with price adjustments; instead, it will absorb some of the profit pressure itself, thereby expanding its market share.” The Chinese smartphone market is expected to continue facing pressure between March and May.
Source: UDN, March 19, 2026
https://money.udn.com/money/story/5599/9390143