Local smartphone makers Vivo and Huawei leapfrogged Apple to become the top two sellers in the Chinese market last year, dealing a blow to the iPhone maker as it struggles to introduce AI features on the mainland and fight competition from domestic players.
Apple’s China smartphone shipments slipped to 42.9mn in 2024, 17 per cent lower than the year before, according to market research firm Canalys. That cut its market share by 4 percentage points to 15 per cent. Shipments in the final quarter dropped 25 per cent year on year.
Vivo and Huawei’s shipments increased 11 per cent and 37 per cent for market shares of 17 per cent and 16 per cent respectively. The overall smartphone market grew 4 per cent on 2023, with 285mn units shipped.