L’iPhone now dominates the two main global smartphone markets: UNITED STATESnearly one in two smartphones sold is an iPhone, and in Chine, the iPhone consolidated its leading position in sales during the fourth quarter of 2022, with 23.7% market share. According to data from Counterpoint, Apple is the only Chinese top 5 manufacturer to gain market share, even though iPhone sales fell slightly by 3% over the period. Only Huawei, in 6th place, saw its sales progress in Q4. Apple will therefore have achieved the feat of placing itself at the head of a hyper-competitive market that has long been dominated by mid-range devices at attractive prices. Apple’s aggressive sales policy in China (numerous promotions on iPhones) also boosted sales, as did the launch of larger iPhones (“Max” and now “Plus” models).
The Chinese smartphone market as a whole shows a 15% drop in sales in Q4, and the first three quarters of 2022 already saw similar levels of decline. Even during the month of December, generally in the green, the drop in sales was significant (-5%). The restrictions linked to Covid-19, then the onset of panic linked to the pandemic after the lifting of these same restrictions, undoubtedly played an important role in these poor figures.
