Rival Huawei’s sales have increased by 42%, increasing competition in the world’s largest smartphone market.
Apple’s iPhone sales decreased by 0.3% in the third quarter of 2024. Rival Huawei, meanwhile, saw sales increase 42%, increasing competition in the world’s largest smartphone market.
IDC data revealed that Apple held a market share of 15.6%, down 0.5 percentage points year-on-year, while Huawei gained 4.2 percentage points to capture a share of 15.3%.
The market leader is Vivo, which specializes in low-cost devices, with 18.6% of the market. The contrasting fortunes of Apple and Huawei follow Huawei’s successful re-entry into the premium segment last year with the Mate 60 series, which is said to be powered by domestic chips. Additionally, Huawei released the Pura 70 model earlier this year, further solidifying its position against Apple.
Apple has overcome challenges in China, including restrictions on iPhone use within some government agencies. To combat these challenges, tech giants have launched multiple discount campaigns aimed at boosting sales. The new iPhone 16, announced on September 20th, was highly anticipated as sales increased by 20% in the first three weeks compared to the previous year’s model.
Overall, China’s smartphone market registered a growth of 3.2% in the third quarter, with a total of 68.78 million units sold. Analysts predict that Apple’s increased marketing efforts and the upcoming Apple Vision Pro may increase demand for the iPhone 16 series in the future.
