Apple eclipsed Vivo as China’s top smartphone seller in 2023, despite a drop in the total market.
According to IDC research, Apple’s smartphone market share in China will reach 17.3% in 2023, putting the company on top for the first time in the world’s second largest economy. However, the overall number of iPhones sold by Apple in China fell by 2.2% from the same time in 2022, owing to competition from other goods as well as a lack of major changes in the current iPhone generation, which has slowed demand.
Arthur Guo, senior analyst at IDC China, described it as a significant success for Apple, especially given Huawei’s remarkable recovery in the fourth quarter of 2023 and customers’ cautious buying mentality amid economic challenges. Apple also achieved this accomplishment through its advertising campaigns and livestreams, which increased demand on e-commerce platforms.
Meanwhile, Vivo, which topped the charts in 2022, has dropped to fourth position with a 16.5% market share. Honor (17.1%), which formerly belonged to Huawei, Oppo (16.7%), and Xiaomi (13.2%) round out the top five.
In the last year, 271.3 million cellphones were sold in China, a 5% decrease from the same time and the lowest amount in the market in a decade. Sales declined for all five main corporations.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, Huawei knocked Xiaomi out of the top five largest smartphone producers in China, marking its return after more than two years away. Huawei’s phone sales increased 36.2% in the fourth quarter of 2023, resulting in a 13.9% market share, up from 10.3% in the same time in 2022.
The return of Huawei is anticipated to amp up the 2024 smartphone competition, as no manufacturer wants to miss out on the top five in China. Previously, Jefferies analysts forecast that iPhone shipments will fall this year, while Huawei is cementing its market position and is likely to sell 64 million phones globally, nearly double the 35 million in 2023.
