Apple Sales in China Plunge 50%, Huawei Back on Top – Fortune

[Hamartia Antidote]

https://www.phonearena.com/news/china-smartphone-market-report-q1-2026-apple-record-second-place-huawei-number-one_id181841

Apple posts yet another record to skyrocket to second place in the world's biggest smartphone market​

Apple was only the fifth-largest smartphone vendor in China in Q2 2025, but a year later, the company is taking home the silver medal and threatening Huawei's regional supremacy.

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

If Apple dares to not use China supply chain, then China may issue a full ban on Apple just like what the US did to Huawei.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

iPhone 18 Pro Sells Nearly 1.3 Million Units in China in First Week; Apple's Weekly Market Share Soars to 33% — BigGo Finance

Apple's iPhone 18 Pro series delivered a strong opening week in the Chinese market, with actual sell-through approaching 1.3 million units across all…

finance.biggo.com

iPhone 18 Pro first-week sales in China reportedly near 1.3 million units; Apple's weekly market share surges to 33%​

Apple's latest flagship iPhone 18 Pro lineup is off to a strong start in the Chinese market. According to the latest data from market research firm Counterpoint Research, sales in the first three days of availability grew 12% compared to the same period for the previous-generation iPhone 17 Pro series, propelling Apple's weekly market share in China to 33% and vaulting it to the top of the weekly sales rankings. Market chatter further suggests that actual sell-through across all channels has already approached 1.3 million units.

Counterpoint Research's China Smartphone Weekly Sales Tracker shows that since July, weekly smartphone sales in China have posted double-digit year-over-year declines, primarily because rising storage costs have dampened consumer demand. However, Apple bucked the trend with a strong surge once its September new-product launch cycle kicked in.

The iPhone 18 Pro series officially went on sale in Week 38. Based on just three days of sales data, volume already exceeded the iPhone 17 Pro series' first-week launch performance by 12%. Counterpoint senior analyst Ivan Lam noted that this generation marks the first time the Pro models launched without a simultaneous standard-model refresh, forcing upgraders toward the higher-priced Pro versions — a key factor behind the strong initial sales.

"RD Observation," a digital blogger who has long tracked the Chinese handset market, reported that seven days after launch, actual sell-through of the iPhone 18 Pro series across all channels reached nearly 1.3 million units, equivalent to 115% of the previous-generation iPhone 17 Pro series' total sales and 90% of the iPhone 17 full lineup's first-week volume. The same blogger previously disclosed that first-day sales of the iPhone 18 Pro series totaled roughly 322,800 units, approximately 130% of the iPhone 17 Pro series' first-day figure.

Notably, Apple grew against a weakening overall market. During the same period, China's smartphone shipments fell 17% year-over-year, with domestic brands broadly under pressure, yet Apple captured a 33% weekly market share on the strength of the Pro lineup's explosive start.

Pricing advantage amid an industry-wide price hike wave​

Industry insiders attribute Apple's standout performance in China to sector-wide price increases. Driven by rising component costs, handset makers across the board have raised flagship pricing in an attempt to offset declining shipment volumes with higher per-unit revenue — a move that has inadvertently eroded the price advantage that Chinese competitors have long relied on.

"Several Chinese flagship models have raised prices by more than $200 (approximately NT$6,400), lifting the market's price anchor and further highlighting the iPhone's value proposition," Lam said.

Apple adopted a "premium in the fall, mainstream in the spring" launch strategy this year, unveiling only the iPhone 18 Pro series and its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, while the more affordable iPhone 18 has been pushed to next spring. The China mainland version of the iPhone 18 Pro starts at CNY 9,999 (approximately $1,500), while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at CNY 10,999 (approximately $1,600).

Foldable drives expansion of the niche segment​

Counterpoint Research also issued the industry's first sales forecast for Apple's debut foldable, the iPhone Duo, projecting approximately 6 million units sold this year. Priced at $1,999 (approximately NT$64,000), the device sits at the very top of Apple's product lineup and is scheduled to go on sale in October.

Lam noted that the 6 million-unit figure is more consistent with the characteristics of the niche foldable market rather than Apple's typical flagship shipment levels, and final sales will depend on the company's progress in ramping up production capacity for the new hardware.

Market research firm IDC estimates that, driven by Apple's entry, global foldable smartphone shipments will grow 13% this year to 22.9 million units. IDC said that without the iPhone Duo's launch, the segment would have posted a decline.

Apple's opening performance in the Chinese market reflects that its premiumization strategy is delivering tangible results. Against a backdrop of soft overall demand, Apple has successfully steered users toward higher-priced Pro models through product-line adjustments and pricing strategy, while using the foldable to open up new growth avenues. For investors, the strong initial sales data from China, combined with expectations for foldable segment expansion, provides a positive signal for Apple's revenue momentum in the second half of 2026.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

iPhone 18 Pro Sales Up 3.1% as China Jumps 29% [2026]

Counterpoint says iPhone 18 Pro sales ran 3.1% above the iPhone 17 Pro in three weeks, with China up 29% while the US and Japan fell.

tech-insider.org

iPhone 18 Pro Sales Up 3.1% as China Jumps 29% [2026]​

October 27, 2026 Apple’s newest Pro phones are selling a little better than last year’s, and the gap comes almost entirely from one country. Counterpoint Research reported that global sales of the iPhone 18 Pro series ran 3.1% higher than the iPhone 17 Pro series during the first three weeks after launch. The firm called the start “mixed,” and the regional split shows why.

China did the heavy lifting with sales up 29% year over year, and India also looked strong. The United States and Japan moved the other way, with sales falling year over year in both markets. The numbers come from Counterpoint’s Smartphone Weekly Sales Tracker, and outlets from Reuters to regional business press picked up the story on October 27, 2026.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

iPhone 18 Pro Sales Up 3.1% as China Jumps 29% [2026]

Counterpoint says iPhone 18 Pro sales ran 3.1% above the iPhone 17 Pro in three weeks, with China up 29% while the US and Japan fell.

tech-insider.org

iPhone 18 Pro Sales Up 3.1% as China Jumps 29% [2026]​

October 27, 2026 Apple’s newest Pro phones are selling a little better than last year’s, and the gap comes almost entirely from one country. Counterpoint Research reported that global sales of the iPhone 18 Pro series ran 3.1% higher than the iPhone 17 Pro series during the first three weeks after launch. The firm called the start “mixed,” and the regional split shows why.

China did the heavy lifting with sales up 29% year over year, and India also looked strong. The United States and Japan moved the other way, with sales falling year over year in both markets. The numbers come from Counterpoint’s Smartphone Weekly Sales Tracker, and outlets from Reuters to regional business press picked up the story on October 27, 2026.

Wait, what???

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Wait, what???

This is the usual "This is the year the iPhone is finally doomed in China" thread because Apple's tech is not appealing anymore to savvy Chinese buyers who demand cutting edge tech that Chinese phone makers can finally deliver blah..blah..blah

The reality is the iPhone 18 got a ho-hum reaction outside of China but a red-hot reaction inside China.

for the record...



If anything the iPhone's popularity is going up with savvy buyers in China...

 

[Feroze]

Apple Sales in China Plunge 50%, Huawei Back on Top – Fortune​

May 14, 2025

Huawei, which slumped for several years after being hit with US sanctions, has managed to regain its dominant position in the Chinese smartphone market​

A woman looks at a new iPhone 15 Pro and a Huawei Mate 60 Pro, at an Apple store in Shanghai, China. Photo: Reuters

Sales of American smartphone giant Apple plunged nearly 50% in China as the iPhone-maker faced increasing competition from domestic players — most notably, Huawei — according to a report by Fortune India.

Apple’s shipments sank to 1.89 million units, down from 3.75 million one year ago, translating to a 49.6% drop in sales, the Forbes report said, citing data from think-tank China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

Foreign-branded smartphones now account for just 8% of China’s smartphone market — the largest in the world, the report added. That is half of their 16% share a year ago.

Meanwhile, US-sanctioned smartphone maker Huawei, which, for years, had been teetering on the edge of collapse, managed to regain its dominant position in the market, accounting for more than 19% of its share. That’s an outcome that analysts had been predicting since last year, on the back of Huawei launching its Mate 60 and Mate 70 smartphone series.

Sales of those devices had been so strong that they managed to spark a turnaround in the Chinese smartphone market in 2023 after several quarters of slowdown.

Huawei’s role in developing China’s first homegrown advanced semiconductor, with state-backed chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), has played a key role in charting the smartphone maker’s return to the market. That breakthrough sparked huge patriotic backing for the tech giant from Chinese consumers, which has also fuelled the fall in Apple’s market share in China.

Meanwhile, Apple’s inability so far to roll out its AI services in China has also hit demand for its phones in the country.

Good. Not surprised.

If I was Chinese I would not buy American shit products.

Iphone is shit anyways. Overpriced. I use a Samsung Galaxy 25+. Perhaps I should buy an Honor or a Lenovo phone.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

Good. Not surprised.

If I was Chinese I would not buy American shit products.

Iphone is shit anyways. Overpriced. I use a Samsung Galaxy 25+. Perhaps I should buy an Honor or a Lenovo phone.

Please reference post #36.

And, I suggest you consider watching the language.

For the record, I've been issued both iPhones, Samsungs, and even Blackberrys. None were garbage. All satisfied my needs personally and all were authorized by DHL.

Personally, I use Samsung, which you know. The reason is due to cost. Not because the device is garbage.