Sales of Apple smartphones in the highly competitive Chinese market fell by 25% in the fourth quarter of last year compared to 2023, while its main competitor, Huawei, increased shipments by 24%. This is evidenced by data from Canalys, a leading analytical company in the global technology market.
Thus, in the fourth quarter of last year, Apple retained its leadership in the Chinese market with a 17% share, shipping 13.1 million smartphones. This was largely helped by several discount promotions to stimulate sales, such as the one the company launched on its official trading platforms from January 4 to 7, offering a discount of up to 500 yuan ($69) on its new iPhone 16 models.
However, its position is very shaky, as two large, fast-growing local manufacturers, Huawei and Vivo, have come close to the leader, selling 12.9 million units each in the last three months of the year and expanding their market share to the same 17%, equal to Apple’s.
Canalys data show that Huawei increased sales by 24% in October-December and Vivo by 14%. The best result was achieved by consumer and smartphone company Xiaomi, whose smartphone sales jumped by almost a third, by 29%, compared to the same period in 2023.
The success of the latest analytics is attributed to the fact that throughout the year, Xiaomi has been actively implementing its smart solutions in electric vehicles and home appliances of its own production, strengthening user confidence and increasing smartphone sales.
At the end of last year, compared to 2023, total smartphone sales in China increased by 4% and exceeded 285 million units.
At the same time, against the backdrop of falling Apple sales, Chinese brands showed steady positive dynamics so that at the end of the year, the market shares were distributed in their favor – vivo was in first place with a 17% share, Huawei was in second place with 16%, and only Apple was in third place, with 15% of the Chinese smartphone market and two other Chinese brands with 15% shares each, Oppo and Honor, next to it.
In 2025, Canalys analysts forecast smartphone sales in mainland China to grow to more than 290 million units, driven by the expected recovery in demand, a stable macroeconomic environment, and other factors.
Smartphone sales in China will also be stimulated by the nationwide subsidy policy announced by the Chinese government in January. This policy includes smartphones and further updates to the devices themselves, such as longer battery life, thinner and lighter designs, innovative form factors, and improvements to the operating system based on artificial intelligence.