In the third quarter, smartphone sales in China experienced a 5% decline compared to the same period last year. This ongoing decrease in sales is primarily attributed to the slowing economy and cautious consumers who are delaying their smartphone upgrades, as reported by a research firm.
During this quarter, smartphone shipments amounted to 66.7 million devices, marking a year-on-year drop, according to Canalys.
Smartphones’ Decreased Sales in China
All of the top five smartphone brands in China witnessed either declining or stagnant sales in comparison to the previous year. Vivo saw the most significant decrease at 26%, followed by Oppo with a 10% reduction, Apple with a 6% decline, Honor with a 1% dip, and Xiaomi, which remained at the same level as the previous year.
Honor, previously Huawei’s smartphone brand, which Huawei divested in 2020, secured the top position in China with 11.8 million units shipped and an 18% market share. Oppo and Apple shared the second spot, each holding a 16% share.
Apple managed to maintain its high ranking, partly due to the introduction of its iPhone 15 series in China on September 22, as noted by Canalys.
Huawei, now the sixth-largest smartphone brand in China, did not have its specific market share provided by Canalys. However, it was mentioned that Huawei’s share increased to levels comparable with leading manufacturers in China, mainly because of the strong demand for its new Mate 60 products.
Huawei Surpasses Apple
In a surprising move, Huawei launched its premium Mate 60 Pro phone in late August, which is believed to use domestically produced chips. This launch is seen as a significant breakthrough in the face of the U.S. technology sanctions that have affected the company for years.
Canalys analyst Lucas Zhong commented that if Huawei’s new Kirin chips are expanded to mid-range and lower-end product lines in the future, they could further disrupt the competition among the top brands in the market.
According to Counterpoint Research, Huawei sold an estimated 1.6 million units of its Mate 60 series handsets in the first six weeks after their launch, indicating high demand for the Mate 60.
In contrast, sales of Apple’s iPhone 15 were reported to underperform compared to the early sales of the iPhone 14, as stated by Counterpoint.
