iPhone sales performance appears to be losing steam, at least in some key markets for Apple. The competition has taken advantage and grown in a unique way, showing a rebalancing of sales. The latest data shows that iPhone sales have fallen by 20% in the largest market on the planet, as opposed to Huawei, which has grown by 70% in sales.
Apple sees iPhone sales fall in China
It is in China that much of the performance of smartphone brands is measured and evaluated. This market is the largest on the planet and Apple had a prominent position until recently. The drops in sales started in 2024 and this has been seen several times since the year started.
Now, according to data from Counterpoint, Apple has once again lost ground compared to the competition in the biggest brand on the planet. iPhone sales fell again in the first quarter of 2024, losing 19% in this period, the brand’s worst performance since 2020.
This less positive performance saw Apple’s share of the world’s largest smartphone market fall to 15.7%, from 19.7% a year earlier. This puts the creator of the iPhone almost on the same level as Huawei, which apparently doesn’t stop growing.
Huawei took advantage of its growth in smartphones
The case of the Chinese company is so prominent that it places it at the top of the growth table. With the launch of new smartphones, Huawei managed to grow 70% in just one year. Huawei’s growth was largely attributed to the successful launch of the 5G-capable Mate 60 series, as well as the brand’s enduring reputation.
Apple lost leadership of the smartphone market in China to rival Vivo, falling directly to third place this quarter. This is followed by Huawei, whose market share jumped to 15.5% from 9.3% a year earlier. Honor, a brand that was born within Huawei, came in second place in the table.
China is Apple’s third-largest market and generated about 17% of its total revenue in the October-December quarter. This loss in the market in China comes after it was shown earlier this month that the North American company suffered a drop of almost 10% in global smartphone sales in the first quarter of 2024.
