Apple’s head of retail Deirdre O’Brien at Apple Sanlitun in Beijing – Image courtesy of Apple
iPhone sales are on the rise in China, with Apple returning to the country’s top five smartphones thanks to the iPhone 16.
Apple is struggling in China as rival smartphone makers squeeze the iPhone in the market. Still, the iPhone appears to be gaining more traction with consumers.
According to figures released by IDC on Friday, Apple ranked second among the top five Chinese smartphone manufacturers in the third quarter of 2024, returning the company to the list. IDC attributes this to the successful market launch of iPhone 16.
Apple’s market share is said to be 15.6%, second only to Vivo’s 18.6% but ahead of Huawei’s 15.3%. Xiaomi and Honor rounded out the list with 14.8% and 14.4% respectively.
China Smartphone Market Share Statistics – IDC
At the time, Apple’s share was 16.1%, so this percentage has decreased slightly compared to the same period last year.
Apple’s impressive return to the roster is good, but it’s not entirely better than last year. During the same period, China’s smartphone shipments increased 3.2% year-on-year to 68.8 million units, but Apple’s shipments decreased 0.3% year-on-year.
In contrast, third-place Huawei grew 42% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2024.
IDC’s numbers aren’t the only numbers showing the iPhone’s resurgence. On October 18, Counterpoint Research confirmed that iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 sales increased 20% year-over-year.
