China is also being impacted by the global smartphone market issue and this is natural. The particularity of the Asian Giant market force us to pause and focus solely on them.
According to research released by Counterpoint Research, Apple iPhone is on the verge of surpassing Vivo as the leading brand among Chinese consumers. The Cupertino brand has largely escaped the global crisis. Which in China has different subtleties, as we have seen in the rest of the world.
Despite COVID and lockdowns, Apple has a robust presence
China is still experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects. Regular lockdowns continue to plague the nation, which makes it impossible for the economy there to become better. However, a recovery in all markets—including mobile— will take place in 2023. It might just be a matter of time because the Chinese government intends to attain herd immunity this year.
Now focusing on the numbers, the Chinese market experienced a 15% decline from the final quarter of 2021. The COVID-19 measures were loosened in December, which resulted in an abrupt rise in cases. And a 5% decline in sales between quarters, resulting in the lowest quarterly sales of the year. Although for different reasons, the Christmas season was not any busier here either.
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Additionally, since the spring of 2022, COVID-19’s restrictions on Chinese cities have had a negative effect on users. And delayed their desire to switch devices.
Despite all of this information, Apple has outperformed all other emerging brands to capture 18% of the market, which is extremely close to Vivo’s current market share of 19.2%. Without a doubt, the new iPhone 14 series has played a significant role in luring customers. In reality, Apple’s sales in China during the last quarter of 2022 achieved its biggest quarterly total in company history. Around a quarter of all smart phones sold during that period were iPhone models.
HONOR has been the only brand with year over year growth besides Apple. They are currently in fourth place, 3% market share lower than the previous year, behind OPPO. Analysts claim that Xiaomi, Huawei, and Realme finish last with large losses as a result of the uncertain global economy.