Chinese market: iPhone is apparently growing again

Apple’s shrinking China business with the iPhone seems to be slowly recovering in the last quarters. This emerges from Counterpoint Research’s last market research figures for the second quarter. Accordingly, Apple was able to in a “steamed market” with a view to the previous year have a strong growth. The reason is therefore strong sales at iPhone 16 Pro and 16 per max.

Huawei and Apple at the front, Vivo loses

According to Counterpoint, the iPhone growth in China is, the numbers of which are based on their own market surveys and not on official values ​​of the manufacturers, in the “high single-digit percentage area”. Apple therefore increased by 8 percent in the so-called Sell-Through content, i.e. the sales rate, only 1 percent compared to the same period last year. However, the home manufacturer Huawei managed to grow even more – by 12 percent.

The company thus reached market leadership in the quarter. Other brands shrank, on the other hand, the traditionally strong Vivo decreased by 9 percent. The other brands, a large segment in China, also slightly lost by 1 percent. Apple had reduced its prizes in China in May and had advertising campaigns carried out – especially for models 16, 16 per and 16 per max. This was “well coordinated in time”. This was followed by the so-called 618 shopping festival, a day that resembles Black Friday. Here, too, Huawei and Apple were able to score, according to Counterpoint research with three iPhone variants, the best sales were added and the upper half of the bestseller list.

Difficult political situation

Subsidies were also distributed in China to boost the smartphone market. The government is particularly promoting the purchase of domestic brands, although Apple still produces most iPhones in the People’s Republic. According to Counterpoint, state sales aids shaped the second quarter, but are no longer to be continued in the second half of the year.

Apple has a difficult stand in China. The country is fighting the political situation, in which the government also advises on US brands due to the current trade war, wants to make itself more independent of China as a production location. But this also causes anger in Beijing, most recently Chinese employees who help with Apple’s great development of Indian production works were apparently deducted from China’s pressure.