Huawei and Apple are constantly competing for the smartphone sales throne in China. Both tech giants offer their best work to Chinese customers. However, Huawei seems to have an advantage over the iPhone maker this time as well.
IDC recently released the China Smartphone Market Report for Q3 2024. This is an analysis of how technology vendors’ sales trended in the third quarter of this year.
When it comes to the top three companies in the market in the third quarter, Vivo took first place, while the iPhone maker and Huawei ranked second and third, respectively.
Last time, Apple was excluded from the ranking of top five Chinese mobile phones. But somehow it entered the space again. It may be caused by the glow time of the iPhone 16 series. Despite the company’s recovery, sales decreased by 0.3%.
Meanwhile, Huawei continued to perform well in smartphone sales, surpassing Apple in China. The company holds 15.3% of the market share and its shipment progress rate has increased by 42.%. This exceeds Apple’s sales in the third quarter of this year.
Regardless of its ranking, Apple is struggling in China’s smartphone market. Why is this so? Well, here’s a summary of the decline of the iPhone maker.
1. Huawei Pura 70 Series: A creative invention!
Flagship lineup released in April of this year. The name itself caused a stir among consumers who were expecting the “P-70.” Another great thing is the camera design. Unlike the P60, the Pura 70 adopted a new triangular lens framework.
Pura 70 Ultra’s retractable lens makes users feel like a professional photographer. Additionally, the ability to transmit satellite images further enhances the appeal of the Pura 70 series.
The design of the iPhone from a few years ago continues without major changes. The iPhone 16 appears as an exception with some nice color options.
Huawei Pura 70 Ultra (Image credit: Huawei)
2. Mate 60 series still in demand
The Huawei Mate 60 series was launched last year, and it still has the same enthusiasm that it had when it was released. The Pro variant continues to dominate the Chinese smartphone market due to its key features, Kirin 9000 chipset, and satellite calling capabilities.
3. China is supporting Huawei
Of course, on home turf there is now the support of Huawei. Many Chinese companies have followed government norms and banned the use of iPhones on their premises. The aim is to minimize the use of American products, which continue to face strict sanctions.
Apart from Huawei, competitors such as Honor, Xiaomi, and Vivo are trying to prevent Apple from gaining a foothold in China’s smartphone market.
These reasons are probably affecting Apple iPhone sales in China. It’s not that Apple’s performance is bad. Many Chinese consumers still prefer iPhones over other mobile phones. But the company needs to work harder to succeed in China.
Standard Apple iPhone 16 (Image credit: Apple)
