Apple has lost its position among the top five smartphone vendors in China for the first time in four years.
TakeAway Points:
- Apple’s market share has been shrinking in China, down to 14% in the second quarter compared with 15% in the first quarter and 16% a year earlier.
- “It is the first quarter in history that domestic vendors dominate all the top five positions,” said Canalys research analyst Lucas Zhong.
- Localization of Apple’s intelligence services in mainland China will be an important move in the next 12 months, Canalys said, as Chinese brands are aggressively incorporating generative AI into their products.
Apple product drops in the Chinese market
Apple was edged out of the top five smartphone vendors’ list in China in the second quarter, as competition from domestic brands such as Huawei intensified, according to a Canalys report.
Apple’s market share in China shrank to 14% in the second quarter, the report released Thursday showed, from 15% in the first quarter and 16% in the same period a year ago.
The iPhone maker, which was the third-largest smartphone vendor in the second quarter last year, dropped to the sixth spot with about 9.7 million in shipments, according to CNBC calculations.
“It is the first quarter in history that domestic vendors dominate all the top five positions,” said Lucas Zhong, research analyst at Canalys.
Apple’s shipments have been declining since the first quarter, when they dropped 25% year over year to 10 million units.
“Chinese vendors’ strategies for high-end products and their deep collaboration with local supply chains are starting to pay off in hardware and software features. Honor’s latest Magic V3, which leverages GenAI, has significantly enhanced the user experience of foldable devices,” Zhong added.
On the other hand, Apple is facing a “bottleneck” in the Chinese market as it aims to “stabilize retail prices and protect margins of channel partners,” he said.
Localization of Apple Intelligence services in China will be an important move in the next 12 months, Canalys said, as Chinese brands are aggressively incorporating generative AI into their products.
Local brands dominate Chinese market
From April to June, Vivo reclaimed the top spot with 19% market share and 13.1 million units shipped, driven by strong offline and online sales during the “618” e-commerce festival.
Oppo maintained second place with 11.3 million units, buoyed by the launch of its new Reno 12 series. Huawei spinoff Honor came in third with 10.7 million units shipped, marking a 4% year-on-year increase.
Huawei came fourth with 15% market share and 10.6 million shipment units — it had not made it to the top five a year earlier. Huawei’s consumer business has seen a resurgence in China after the launch of its Mate 60 smartphone.
Xiaomi took the fifth spot with the buzz from its first electric car, the SU7, also contributing to solid sales of its K70 and flagship 14 series, Canalys said.
Overall, the Chinese smartphone market grew 10% year on year in the second quarter, with shipments exceeding 70 million units, Canalys said.
Competitive Landscape
Apple’s decline in China is attributed to increased competition from domestic brands, particularly Huawei. Nabila Popal, IDC research director, stated, “This year, the slump of Apple [in the first half of 2024] goes beyond just seasonality but is directly a result of increased competition from Huawei, the only other major player in the premium segment outside of Apple.”
However, Popal noted that Apple’s year-on-year decline in China has “slightly improved” compared with the first quarter.
“Huawei’s threat may lose steam if they don’t introduce AI features soon — as these are expected to become staple elements of premium devices.” She added.
