A recent report from Counterpoint has highlighted Huawei's significant rebound in the competitive Chinese smartphone landscape, showcasing a remarkable growth in sales during the last quarter of 2024. With a 15.5% increase in sales, Huawei reclaimed the top position in the Chinese market with an impressive market share of 18.1%. This marks a notable jump from the third-place position it held in the same quarter last year, where it had a 15.2% market share.
In contrast, Apple saw a considerable downturn, recording an 18.2% drop in sales and finishing in third place this quarter. Apple's market share dipped from 20.2% in Q4 2023 to lower levels, behind Xiaomi, which experienced a 3.9% growth in sales, finishing second with a 17.2% market share. A year prior, Apple had topped the market.
Meanwhile, vivo climbed from fifth to fourth place, with an 8% uptick in sales, increasing its market share from 14.6% to 15.3% year-over-year. Honor, however, faced challenges with a 12.8% sales drop, reducing its market share from 15.1% to 13.6%. Oppo remained stagnant in seventh place while experiencing a 9.3% decline in sales, leading to a decreased market share of 12.5%.
Huawei retains the crown as the top smartphone brand in the world's largest market. | Image credit-Gizmochina
Huawei's resurgence is attributed to its advancement in producing its Kirin 5G application processors. The Kirin 9020 chipset, manufactured by China's leading foundry, SMIC, using 7nm technology, powers Huawei's flagship Mate 70 series. Due to U.S. sanctions, Huawei faces limitations in accessing cutting-edge chips from foreign foundries.
Despite Huawei's success, the overall smartphone market in China witnessed a 3.2% decline in sales year-over-year for the fourth quarter of 2024, marking the only decline throughout the year. However, for 2024 as a whole, smartphone shipments in China increased by 1.5% compared to 2023, with vivo leading the market at a 17.5% share, followed by Huawei with 16.3%, and Xiaomi at 15.7%.
