Survey identifies winners and losers in domestic smartphone market
China's smartphone market is undergoing rapid changes with Apple sales declining 24 percent while Huawei gained significant growth in the first six weeks in 2024, according to researcher Counterpoint.
China's overall smartphone unit sales declined 7 percent year on year in the first six weeks of 2024, with key vendors Apple, OPPO and vivo seeing double-digit declines.
The top five brands in the Chinese market are vivo, Huawei, Honor, Apple and Xiaomi, according to Counterpoint.
Apple's iPhone struggled during the first few weeks of the year for several reasons, due "stiff competition" and iPhone 15's "no significant upgrades," said Ivan Lam, Counterpoint's senior analyst.
Apple posted a revenue decline of 13 percent in China in the latest quarter last month, an indication that the world's top smartphone vendor still faces challenges in its third biggest market.
Domestic brands OPPO and vivo also saw sales decline in the period.
Huawei continued to attract strong demand for its Mate 60 series, one of the only bright spots at the start of the year.
Overall growth is likely to remain in the red during Q1 on muted spending and a few new product launches, Counterpoint said.