Apple loses market share in China, as Huawei gains

Data from Counterpoint Research showed Apple’s market share in China declined in Q3, with Huawei’s climbing as it sold 37 per cent more devices fuelled by the launch of the Mate 60 series.

Apple sales fell 10 per cent with Counterpoint Research noting the volume achieved by the iPhone 15 at launch was lower than that of the iPhone 14 range and demand for the vendor’s products had largely already been fulfilled in the opening six months.

Its market share fell from 15.3 per cent to 14.2 per cent.

Huawei’s share increased by 3.8 percentage points to 12.9 per cent, putting its sixth behind Xiaomi.

Counterpoint Research stated overall sales fell 3 per cent, suggesting a broader trend of declines is set to bottom out.

Canalys pegged the decrease at 5 per cent year-on-year to 66.7 million units, noting Huawei gained market share and was inching its way back into the top five. The company reports on shipments rather than sales.

Bloomberg reported market research company GfK estimated Phone 15 sales in China in the launch month were 6 per cent lower than iPhone 14 while Huawei’s opening month for the Mate 60 series was more than double its predecessor at 1.5 million units.

Local media reported in June Huawei raised its 2023 smartphone shipments target by 33 per cent to 40 million units. Data from Omdia showed it shipped 28 million units in 2022.

Apple is facing a number of hurdles in China. Last week, the government initiated a probe into contract manufacturer Foxconn and in September reportedly expanded a ban on use of iPhones for officials working for central government agencies.

China accounted for 19.3 per cent of Apple’s total revenue in its fiscal Q3 2023 (spanning 2 April until 1 July), with sales rising 7.9 per cent to $15.8 billion.