Apple falls out of the Top 5 smartphone brands in China

Apple has held the number one position in the Chinese smartphone market for many years. According to market research firm Canalys, Apple's iPhone sales in the Chinese market in the second quarter reached about 9.7 million units, down 6.7% compared to the same period last year. Accordingly, Apple's market share in China continued to decrease by 14% compared to the same period in 2024. As a result, Apple's market share ranking in China fell from 3rd to 6th place. This is the first time Apple has dropped out of the Top 5.

Analysts say the reason is that Chinese consumers have reduced their use of Apple iPhones since the US-China technology race intensified while Chinese companies' technological capabilities have improved significantly.

In Q1/2024, Apple dropped the most in the Top 5, falling to 5th place from the first place, with 10 million units and a market share of 15%, down 25% compared to the same period in 2023. However, compared to the 25% decrease in Q1/2024, the decline in Q2 was milder thanks to Apple's massive discount event this year.

In terms of market share, Chinese companies currently hold positions from 1st to 5th in the domestic market, respectively: Vivo, Oppo, Honor, Huawei, Xiaomi.

Information shows that in the second quarter of 2024, the Chinese smartphone market grew 10% compared to the same period in 2023 with smartphone sales exceeding 70 million units.