For the first time, Apple became the largest smartphone vendor in China by shipments, as revealed by new data for 2023 released on Thursday. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), Apple‘s market share in China reached 17.3% in 2023, marking a record high for the company in the world’s second-largest economy.
“Apple’s climb to the top spot in 2023, especially in light of renewed competition from Huawei and the soft spending sentiment, marks a tremendous success for Apple,” said Arthur Guo, senior research analyst at IDC China, in a press release.
The overall smartphone shipments for Apple fell 2.2% year-on-year in 2023, while the overall market declined by 5%, according to IDC. However, these shipments are not direct sales but an indication of demand.
“Apple achieved this thanks to timely price promotions in its third-party channels, which stimulated demand,” Guo added.
Online sales platforms in China offered discounts on the flagship iPhone 15 in the fourth quarter, and even this month, Apple offered discounts across the iPhone 15 range on its website in China to maintain momentum. In 2023, Honor, a spin-off from Huawei, held the second spot with 16.8% market share, followed by Vivo, Huawei, and then Oppo.
Counterpoint Research also released China numbers on Thursday, predicting low single-digit year-on-year growth in 2024, the first year of growth since 2018. Regarding Huawei‘s resurgence, one of the biggest changes in 2023 was its return to the top five ranking in China during the fourth quarter after more than two years outside of the leading group.
“This will only intensify the competition as no vendors will want to lose a top 5 position in the world’s largest smartphone market,” said Will Wong, senior research manager at IDC.
