According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, China smartphone shipments tumbled 11% annually to reach 108 million units in the fourth quarter of 2018. Huawei was the star performer, while Apple and Xiaomi lost ground, per the research group.
“Apple overtook Xiaomi and nudged up to fourth position with 10% smartphone marketshare in China in quarter four of 2018,” says Linda Sui, director at Strategy Analytics. “However, iPhone shipments dropped 22 % annually and this was the firm’s worst performance since early 2017. Apple iPhone has now fallen on a year-over-year basis in China for eight of the past 12 quarters.”
Apple has been under pressure in China for the past three years. Ongoing patent battles with Qualcomm are a distraction, while Apple is being heavily criticized for its expensive retail prices. Sui says Apple is in danger of pricing the iPhone out of China.”
