According to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Market Monitor service, Chinese smartphone shipments slowed in the first quarter of 2018 with a year-over-year decline of 8% and sequential decline of 21%. Xiaomi (+51%) and Apple (+32%) were the fastest growing brands among the top five.
The top five brands captured a record 82% of the market with other original equipment manufacturers struggling to grow. Huawei continues to lead the Chinese smartphone market with 22% market share followed by OPPO and vivo with 18% and 16% share, respectively. Counterpoint attributes Apple’s growth to the strong performance of the iPhone X.
“Apple still holds a large user base in China who haven’t upgraded in the past two years,” says Counterpoint Associate Director Tarun Pathak. “Apple is now back to year-over-year growth in the first quarter since quarter one of 2015, which is an indication that its older generation iPhone user base is now upgrading. This can set the set the tone for the vendor’s full year outlook. Furthermore, as Apple enters its seasonal cycle, promotions in the coming quarters will further drive upgrades.”
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