Apple reclaims No. 1 place in China, strikes record iPhone market share
Key points:
- Apple struck a record 23% market share in China in the fourth quarter of 2021, with the iPhone creator reclaiming the number one performer for the first time in six years, Counterpoint Research stated.
- That was caused by the "relatively lower starting price" of its iPhone 13, which had a robust camera and 5G elements.
- Meanwhile, China's smartphone market fell in 2021 due to component needs and slow customer spending.
Apple's smartphone market share in China struck a record high in the fourth quarter of 2021, with the iPhone creator reclaiming the number one place in the nation for the foremost time in six years.
According to market critics Counterpoint Research, the Cupertino giant had 23% of the market, and deals increased 32% year-on-year in the December quarter.
Apple witnessed a substantial increase despite a 9% drop in China's overall smartphone deals, thanks to its iPhone 13 line-up released in September.
"The new iPhone 13 has shown the hit due to a relatively lower starting cost at its release in China, as well as the latest camera and 5G features," Counterpoint Research's analyst Mengmeng Zhang stated in a news release.
5G guides to next-generation super-fast internet, which is moving out worldwide and quite fast in China.
"Also, Huawei, Apple's main rival in the premium market, faced falling sales due to the continuing U.S. sanctions."
Chinese giant Huawei — once the number one smartphone performer in China and the world — has been hindered by U.S. boycotts which cut the firm off from critical components and software for its gadgets.
In the fourth quarter, Huawei had only a 7% market share in China, and deals fell 73% year-on-year, Counterpoint Research said.
Chinese brand Vivo posed in the second spot with 19% market share, followed by Oppo with 17%.
Honor, the smartphone brand once possessed by Huawei but turned off into a different business, was the fourth greatest player with 15% market share, followed by Xiaomi with 13%.
These brands are Chinese domestic smartphone creators that have developed in the international markets as well.