Apple becomes leading smartphone brand in China for first time
For the first time, Apple has emerged as the leading smartphone company in China. The iPhone maker topped the sales charts for both Q4 and the entire year of 2023. Apple took the first spot with a market share of 17.3%, followed by Honor with 17.1% share. OPPO clinched the third spot with 16.7% share. This comes as a surprise as earlier predictions anticipated a decline in iPhone sales during Q4 due to dwindling excitement for Apple's devices in China.
Timely discounts helped Apple beat domestic competition
"Apple's climb to the top spot in 2023, especially in light of renewed competition from Huawei and the soft spending sentiment, marks a tremendous success for Apple," said Arthur Guo, senior research analyst for IDC China. "Apple achieved this thanks to timely price promotions in its third-party channels, which stimulated demand." Honor maintained its number two position thanks to "improvement in its channel partnerships and a well-rounded product strategy," said Guo.
2023 saw lowest smartphone shipments in a decade
According to IDC's data, smartphone shipments in China totaled 271.3 million units in 2023, which was a decline of 5.0% compared to the previous year. In fact, this was "the lowest volume in a decade, stemming from a soft economic recovery and weak consumer sentiment," per IDC. Interestingly, in Q423, Huawei returned to the Top 5 ranking after more than two years. It managed to take the third spot with a market share of 13.9%.
