BEIJING, Apr 23 (Reuters): Apple's smartphone shipments in China tumbled 19 per cent in the first quarter of the year, the worst performance since 2020, as the iPhone maker took a hit from Huawei's new product launches in the premium segment, market data showed.
Apple's share in the world's biggest smartphone market fell to 15.7 per cent in the first quarter from 19.7 per cent a year earlier. That put it almost level with Huawei, which saw sales jump 70 per cent, according to research firm Counterpoint.
Apple lost its crown as the biggest smartphone seller in China to rival Vivo, sliding to third place in the quarter, followed by Huawei whose market share jumped to 15.5 per cent from 9.3 per cent a year earlier. Honor, a mass market brand spun out of Huawei, was in second place.
"Huawei's comeback has directly impacted Apple in the premium segment. Besides, the replacement demand for Apple has been slightly subdued compared to previous years," said Counterpoint analyst Ivan Lam in a press release.
"For the second quarter, the possibility of new color options combined with aggressive sales initiatives could bring the brand back into positive territory," Lam said, adding it is seeing slow but steady improvement in weekly iPhone sales.
China is Apple's third-biggest market and generated around 17 per cent of its total revenue in the October-December quarter.
Its market share loss in China comes after separate data showed earlier this month that the US firm suffered nearly a 10 per cent drop in global smartphone shipments in the first quarter of 2024, hurt by intensifying competition by Android smartphone makers led by Samsung Electronics.
Samsung clinched the top phonemaker spot from Apple in the first quarter.
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