A lot of progress for some brands… and a little bit of stagnation for others
The Chinese market leader has a pretty healthy advantage over four very close rivals.
What’s also definitely worth highlighting about the IDC’s latest report is the very small gap between Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Honor’s regional sales numbers. Apple is only 0.3 percent ahead of Huawei in market share right now, while Xiaomi somehow managed to beat Honor 14.8 percent to 14.6 percent in Q3 2024 despite the latter brand holding a huge advantage of nearly 6 percent share a year before.
What’s on the horizon for Apple and its rivals?
China’s smartphone market has been growing for several quarters now and may continue to do so for several more.
Xiaomi and Honor’s threats are not to be ignored either, with the former company looking to “push boundaries” in the high-end segment while maintaining its primary budget-friendly focus and the latter brand ruling the massive (albeit not-very-profitable) $100 to $200 price bracket.
Vivo and Honor, of course, hold a key local advantage over Apple and a global advantage over Samsung in their remarkably affordable foldable high-enders, which are growing more and more popular in China (as well as across many major European markets).
