Apple Struggles in China: Huawei’s Pura 70 Series Drives Market Share Shift

Apple's presence in China's smartphone market shrinks in Q2 2024 as Huawei's Pura 70 series fuels significant growth, according to Canalys.

Apple Market Share Drops

According to data from market research firm Canalys (via Reuters), Apple's market share in China decreased by two percentage points in the second quarter of 2024 due to the tech giant's increased competition from Huawei and others.

This drop shows how tough it is for the American IT behemoth in its third-biggest market.

Launching its new Pura 70 series in April, Huawei had a 41% year-on-year growth in smartphone shipments during the quarter.

Despite the lack of Apple-specific shipping numbers in the Canalys data, the business saw a decline in its market share in China, from 16% in Q2 2023 to 14% in Q2 2024.

Apple Falls to Sixth

This trend caused Apple to drop from third to sixth place in China's smartphone market.

Canalys reported a 10% increase in quarterly smartphone shipments from China. The leading vendor was Vivo with a 19% share, followed by Oppo with 16%, Honor with 15%, and Huawei with 15%.

AOL shares that researchers at Canalys found that "domestic manufacturers have demonstrated market leadership, occupying the top five positions in the mainland Chinese market for the first time in history," as stated by Lucas Zhong.

"On the other hand, Apple faces growth pressure in the Chinese market and is actively focusing on optimising channel management."

Huawei High-End Return

A device powered by a domestically-made chip was released last August by Huawei, marking its return to the high-end smartphone category. This move was in defiance of U.S. sanctions, which had cut off Huawei's access to the global chipset supply chain.

With the goal of increasing sales, Apple has intensified its promotional strategies this year to attract customers. With a redoubling of its efforts from February, the American firm began an aggressive campaign in May, slashing prices on some iPhone models by as much as 2,300 yuan ($318.84).

Huawei is expected to maintain its good performance throughout the year, according to analysts. Earlier this year, TechInsights, a Canadian research group, predicted that Chinese smartphone shipments for Huawei will surpass 50 million units in 2024, with the Pura 70 series making up 10 million of those shipments.

This would increase Huawei's market share from 12% in 2023 to 19%, making it the top seller, according to TechInsights.