China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) released data on Friday (January 3) showing that the sales volume of foreign smartphones, including iPhone, in China in November 2024 decreased for the fourth consecutive month, with a year-on-year decline of 47.4%. This highlights the pressure facing Apple, the largest foreign smartphone supplier in China.
According to CAICT’s data, in November, the domestic shipment of mobile phones in China (including domestic brands) decreased by 5.1% year-on-year to 29.61 million units. The shipment volume of foreign brands in November dropped from 5.769 million units in the same period of 2023 to 3.04 million units.
This is another significant decline following a 44.25% year-on-year decrease in the shipment volume of foreign smartphones in October 2024, continuing the downward trend in the Chinese market.
Although CAICT did not specify data for each brand, Apple has consistently occupied the majority of sales of foreign smartphones in China, with competitors like Samsung holding only a small portion of the Chinese market.
These figures highlight Apple’s worsening situation in the Chinese market. In addition to the impact of China’s economic slowdown, the company also faces intense competition from local Chinese brands like Huawei.
The uncertainty of the Chinese economy and concerns about tightening monetary conditions continue to affect household spending. Official data released on December 9, 2024, showed that the consumer price index (CPI) in China in November had declined for three consecutive months, reaching a new low in nearly five months.
As their market share declines, Apple launched a rare four-day promotion in China on Thursday (January 2), offering discounts of up to 500 Chinese yuan (approximately $68.50) on multiple iPhone models.
Over the past weekend, Apple’s competitor Huawei discounted several high-end devices, including phones, on e-commerce platforms like JD.com, with discounts of up to 3,000 yuan.
In the second quarter of 2024, Apple briefly dropped out of the top five smartphone vendors in the Chinese market but later recovered in the third quarter. However, data from research firm IDC showed that Apple’s smartphone sales in the third quarter still declined by 0.3% year-on-year, while Huawei’s sales increased by 42%.
In recent years, the Chinese authorities have suppressed Apple and supported Huawei, exacerbating Apple’s challenges in the Chinese market.