iPhone 15 sales in the first 17 days were 4.5% lower than the previous model.
Impact of Huawei’s ‘Mate 60’?… It seems like the #1 spot in the Chinese market has been taken away.
It turns out that Apple’s iPhone 15 series is not performing as well as its predecessor in the Chinese market. Chinese smartphone company Huawei seems to have lost its top spot in the Chinese market as it is showing signs of revival.
According to global market research firm Counterpoint Research on the 17th, sales of the iPhone 15 in the Chinese market for 17 days after its official launch were about 4.5% lower than that of the iPhone 14. In China, the first country of release, pre-orders began on the 15th of last month, and store sales began on the 22nd.
Not only Counterpoint but also American investment bank Jefferies estimates that iPhone 15 sales in China have decreased by at least 4.5% to as much as double digits compared to the previous model.
Typically, when Apple shows weakness in the smartphone market, it is often the result of Samsung Electronics’ rebound. However, in the Chinese market, Samsung Electronics’ market share is only in the single digits. The industry believes that Huawei, not Samsung, has become the iPhone’s biggest competitor in the Chinese market.
The ‘Mate 60’ series, launched by Huawei last August, is expected to become the best-selling smartphone in China this year. The prevailing view is that this trend will continue until next year. Huawei has succeeded in taking over the top spot in the Chinese smartphone market, which was originally held by Apple.
The Mate 60 Pro is equipped with the ‘Kirin 9000’ chip, a 7 nanometer (nm) process semiconductor developed by Chinese semiconductor company SMIC. In response to this, there was speculation in the industry that Huawei, which had been unable to produce 5G smartphones due to U.S. sanctions, has actually succeeded in its revival and could lead to China’s semiconductor independence.
In line with the launch of Huawei’s Mate 60 series, the Chinese government also showed its support by banning the use of iPhones in public offices. The Chinese government sought to increase sales of domestic companies in the Chinese market by restricting the use of all foreign phones, including the iPhone. The iPhone, the only foreign phone that had a significant market share in the Chinese market, had no choice but to take a direct hit.
After iPhone 15 pre-sales began in China on the 15th, products were sold out in one minute on China’s e-commerce platform ‘Tmall’, and even on the official launch day on the 22nd, long lines formed at Apple Store stores from dawn, making the iPhone ban unfounded. There was also an analysis that it was limited to . However, as iPhone sales actually decreased, Huawei’s counterattack appears to have come true as feared.
Prior to the launch of the iPhone 15 series, market research firm Trend Force analyzed that total iPhone sales this year would be between 220 million and 225 million units, down about 5% from the previous year due to the continued slump in the smartphone market and the resurgence of Huawei. there is.
A decline in iPhone sales has actually occurred in the Chinese market, one of the largest markets, and as negative news such as heat, durability, and software problems have continued immediately after the launch of the iPhone 15, the possibility that overall sales will be affected cannot be ruled out. However, some are optimistic that the weakness in China can be offset by strong domestic sales in the United States.
Apple plans to announce its third quarter results, including the first week of iPhone 15 sales, on November 2nd. It is expected that investors will be most interested in how iPhone sales will change compared to the previous year, whether sales will meet market expectations, and what the initial reaction to the iPhone 15 will be.
Meanwhile, Chinese economic media Caixin also analyzed that Huawei’s smartphone shipments this year will reach 38 million units, a 65% increase over the previous year, and next year’s shipments will exceed 60 million units, making it the fastest-growing smartphone brand in the world.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.