Apple Loses Top Smartphone Spot in China as Sales Drop

Despite the iPhone being the top-selling smartphone brand in China just three months ago, a first-quarter sale slump has knocked Apple off the top spot in the Communist country.

CNN Business reports that three months ago Apple was the top-selling smartphone brand in China, reaching the top spot for the first time in six years. But due to poor first-quarter sales, the company has once again been knocked off the top spot.

According to two research reports published this week, Apple is now the third most popular smartphone brand in the country, behind two Chinese Android handset brands. Counterpoint Research said in a report released this week that smartphone sales in China declined 14 percent in the first quarter as volumes fell “close to the levels seen during the severe pandemic-impacted Q1 2020.”

Apple sales have plunged by 23 percent in the three months to March when compared to the previous quarter. Counterpoint Research noted that the company enjoyed rapid growth in China last year following the release of the iPhone 13 but is suffering in the country now. Apple’s market share in China stands at 17.9 percent, a major decrease from 21.7 percent in the quarter ending in December.

A report from Canalys shows that Apple fell from the top smartphone brand in the country to the third most popular with first-quarter shipments down 36 percent from the quarter previous. Chinese brands Vivo, honor, and Oppo appear to have done much better in comparison, rebounding from the effects of Apple’s iPhone 13 release in the country.

Ivan Lam, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, commented: “I don’t think Q2 data will improve much, as ongoing lockdowns will continue to affect consumers’ willingness to spend.”

Read more at CNN Business here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com