iPhone China sales decline as Huawei Soars
According to research firm Counterpoint, Apple’s iPhone sales in China decreased by 24% in the first six weeks of 2024 as compared to the same period the previous year. It happens at a time when domestic competitors are putting the US tech giant under intense pressure in the nation. According to the survey, China’s Huawei witnessed a 64% increase in sales within its domestic market during the same period. When the BBC asked for comments, Apple and Huawei did not immediately reply. According to Mengmeng Zhang of Counterpoint Research, Apple was “squeezed in the middle on aggressive pricing from the likes of Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi,” in addition to a rebound in Huawei sales at the priciest end of the Chinese phone market. According to the survey, total smartphone sales decreased by 7% during the same period in China, one of Apple’s largest markets. Due to US restrictions, Huawei suffered for years until seeing a spike in sales in August with the launch of its Mate 60 series of 5G handsets. The Chinese company was shut off from essential semiconductors and technologies needed for 5G mobile internet, which was a huge surprise. The survey states that the only other top-five brand to show a growth in sales in China during that time was Honor, the smartphone brand that separated from Huawei in 2020. According to Counterpoint, sales of Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo decreased in the first six weeks of the year.
According to its research, Apple’s share of the Chinese smartphone market declined from 19% to 15.7% last year, placing it in fourth position after having held the top slot.
Huawei, meanwhile, moved up to the number-two spot with a 16.5% market share, up from 9.4% the previous year. Vivo continued to be China’s best-selling smartphone manufacturer, Counterpoint reported, despite a 15% decline in sales over the previous year. Apple began to give discounts on its official Chinese websites last month, and this week it subsidized some iPhone models through its flagship stores on Tmall, Alibaba’s marketplace. Demand in China may be slowing down, which might have an impact on Apple’s sales, which disappointed investors when the company reported its earnings last month.
According to the company, revenues in China dropped from $23.9 billion to $20.82 billion (£16.4 billion) in the final three months of 2023. Tuesday’s New York trading saw a 2.8% decline in Apple shares.
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