iPhone market share in China down 10% year-over-year in quarter three

In the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, smartphone sales in China declined 3% year-over-year (YoY) in a sign the market could be closer to bottoming out, according to Counterpoint Research. Let’s hope for Apple’s sake that the research group is correct.

Counterpoint says that Apple lost share in Q3 2023 as some demand was fulfilled in Q1 and Q2 and because the iPhone 15’s launch sales volume was lower than that of the iPhone 14 series. Apple’s smartphone share in China in Q3 of 2023 is 15.3%. That’s down from 14.2% in Q3 of 2022.

“iPhone sales declined as some demand for older models was fulfilled in Q1 and Q2 2023 due to earlier-than-expected price cuts by channels, which were not offset by the official price adjustment,” according to Counterpoint Research Director Alicia Gong. “This was compounded by initial supply constraints faced by the iPhone 15 series, which resulted in lower sales compared to the iPhone 14 series for the launch period.”

Huawei was the big winner among smartphone manufacturers, growing 37% YoY on the back of the newly launched Mate 60 series, which is powered by its SoC Kirin 9000S.