That’s the worst performance the company has reported since 2020, and this slump is being attributed to growing commercial pressure from Huawei's new product launches.
According to figures, Apple's share in what is the world’s biggest smartphone market fell to 15.7% in the first quarter from 19.7% a year earlier - almost level with Huawei. By contrast on the back of new product introductions Huawei saw sales jump 70%.
The market statistics, compiled by Counterpoint, show that Apple lost its crown as the biggest smartphone seller in China to rival Vivo, sliding to third place in the first quarter. Huawei saw its market share jump to 15.5% from 9.3% a year earlier. Honor, a brand spun out of Huawei, was in second place.
However, while this is certainly a blow to Apple Counterpoint suggested that new colour options combined with aggressive sales initiatives could help Apple improve its market share in the second quarter.
Over the course of the first quarter Apple sought to encourage consumers with a series of discounts and subsidies.
What’s interesting about these statistics is the continued strength of Huawei, despite access to US chips being curtailed.
Last week it launched the Pura 70 series of high-end phones after launching the Mate 60 series in August last year, in what many are seeing as a ‘triumph’ over US sanctions that have been imposed on the company.
While these devices contain advanced China-made chips, the US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has said that they are not as advanced as American chips and suggested that these ongoing curbs were working.
Whether that’s the case, or not, Huawei seems to be coping remarkably well with these restrictions and is set to become – based on projected sales of the Pura 70 - the top seller with a 19% market share this year, up from 12% in 2023.
