Apple Slips To Third In China’s Smartphone Market During Q1 Amid Fierce Competition

Apple has fallen to third place in the Chinese smartphone market during the first quarter of 2024, as it faced stiff competition from local brands Honor and Huawei. 

According to preliminary data from research firm IDC, Apple's market share dropped to 15.6 per cent, trailing behind Honor and Huawei, which are now tied for the top spot. Honor's market share has climbed to 17.1 per cent, slightly edging out Huawei's 17 per cent.

The report indicates that Apple's smartphone shipments in China saw a decline of 6.6 per cent compared to the same period last year. This decrease comes despite the company's efforts to attract customers through price promotions, which failed to counter the competitive pressures from Android-based manufacturers. Arthur Guo, a senior research analyst at IDC China, commented on the issue, noting that Apple's promotional strategies were insufficient in mitigating the competitive impact from other players in the market.

This marks Apple's weakest performance in the Chinese market since 2020, further highlighted by data from Counterpoint, which showed a more significant 19 per cent drop in Apple's smartphone shipments in the first quarter. In contrast, the overall smartphone shipments in China have risen by 6.5 per cent to reach 69.3 million units.

The tie between Honor and Huawei at the top spot, as per IDC's definition, occurs when the difference between the share of revenue or shipments between vendors is 0.1 per cent or less, highlighting the close competition in the Chinese market.