iPhone Now Top Selling Smartphone in China [Report]

Apple's iPhone is the top selling smartphone in China for the first time in six years, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research. The company surpassed vivo in Q4 with 23% market share, its highest ever.

Overall, China’s smartphone sales in Q4 2021 declined 2% QoQ and 9% YoY, respectively. Additionally, Counterpoint says yearly sales have declined for the fourth consecutive year, dropping 2% in 2021.

Commenting on Apple’s performance, Research Analyst Mengmeng Zhang said, “Apple’s stellar performance was driven by a mix of its pricing strategy and gain from Huawei’s premium base. Apple rose to first place in China right after the iPhone 13 was released (week 39) in September. Afterwards, it remained in the leading position for most of the fourth quarter. The new iPhone 13 has led the success due to a relatively lower starting price at its release in China, as well as the new camera and 5G features. Furthermore, Huawei, Apple’s main competitor in the premium market, faced declining sales due to the ongoing US sanctions.”


Although Apple was the most popular brand last quarter, Chinese OEMs have been working hard to launch more advanced devices.

The year gone by also proved to be a milestone in terms of Chinese OEMs embracing advanced technology. vivo, OPPO and Xiaomi all launched self-developed chipsets to showcase their investments in semiconductors. OPPO and HONOR also launched foldable flagship models, with more mature designs and highly customized software, especially for Chinese users. Foldables bring a new form factor to the smartphone design. As foldables become more affordable, they are likely to drive some users to upgrade.

It's believed that Chinese OEMs will put more effort into increasing the average selling price of their devices to counter the decline in sales.

More details in the full report linked below...


Read More