Survey reveals that Huawei exceeded Apple in smartphone shipments in mainland China in August for the first time in about four years
As the two companies square off in the world’s largest smartphone market, Huawei surpassed Apple in smartphone shipments in mainland China in August for the first time in 46 months, or nearly four years, research firm CINNO found.
According to a survey by the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology, a government research group, shipments of foreign smartphones, including iPhones, on the mainland decreased by 12.7% in August.
According to the organization, overseas shipments decreased from 2.14 million units in the same period last year to 1.87 million units, but domestic brand shipments increased by 26.7% to 24.05 million units.
Huawei was hit with U.S. sanctions in 2019, preventing it from obtaining many technologies essential to making smartphones.
sales battle
However, it has been riding a wave of popularity in the country since last year, when it began selling flagship devices using domestically produced 5G chips and processors.
Huawei also leads the mainland China and global market in foldable smartphones, with global shipments increasing 85% from April to June, according to TechInsights.
The company’s average selling price and wholesale revenue hit record highs in the second quarter, driven by the popularity of its Mate and Pura smartphones and foldable devices, according to TechInsights.
China remains Huawei’s main market, accounting for 89% of global smartphone shipments, the company said.
According to IDC, Huawei became the largest smartphone maker in mainland China in the first half of this year, accounting for 17.5% of the market, with total domestic shipments exceeding 140 million units, an increase of 7.7% year-on-year.
Last month, the company launched the Mate XT, a double-fold or tri-fold smartphone, on the same day Apple launched the iPhone 16 series, taking a direct challenge to Apple.
Main market
Apple reported sales in the Greater China region, which includes mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, of $14.7 billion (£11.2 billion) in the June quarter, down 6.5% from a year earlier.
Canalys said in July that Apple dropped from the top five in mainland China’s smartphone market in the second quarter, behind only local smartphone brands, despite the market growing 10% year-on-year and shipments exceeding 70 million units. It was revealed that he had dropped out.
iPhone shipments fell 6.7% in the quarter, according to Canalys research.
According to Canalys data, the company shipped a total of 9.7 million units in China in the quarter ended June, down from 10.4 million units shipped in the same period last year.
Canalys said its market share was 14%, down from 16% a year ago to No. 6 in China.
