Apple Loses Top Spot in China's Smartphone Market Amid Rising Competition

Apple lost its position as China’s top smartphone seller in 2024, as Vivo and Huawei overtook the iPhone maker amid a 17% decline in Apple’s annual shipments, according to Canalys. This marked Apple’s steepest annual sales drop in China, with a 25% plunge in Q4 alone.

Budget smartphone brand Vivo captured 17% of the market, followed by Huawei at 16% and Apple at 15%, highlighting growing competition from domestic brands. Factors such as the absence of AI capabilities in the latest iPhones and the rise of foldable phones have diminished Apple’s edge in one of its largest markets.

Canalys analyst Toby Zhu noted Apple’s challenges, including Huawei's flagship launches, growing consumer loyalty to brands like Xiaomi and Vivo, and competition in high-price segments. Apple’s four-year growth streak, aided by U.S. sanctions on Huawei since 2019, came to an end as Huawei rebounded in August 2023 with premium phones powered by local chipsets, driving a 24% Q4 shipment surge.

To combat declining sales, Apple launched rare promotions, offering discounts of up to 500 yuan ($68.50) on its iPhone 16 models from Jan. 4-7. Chinese e-commerce giants like Alibaba’s Tmall followed suit with discounts up to 1,000 yuan ($137).

Meanwhile, Xiaomi led Q4 growth among top vendors with a 29% shipment increase, followed by Oppo and Vivo with gains of 18% and 14%, respectively. Overall, China’s smartphone shipments rose 4% year-on-year to 285 million units in 2024, underscoring a shifting market dynamic driven by domestic innovation.