Strong iPhone 13 sales help Apple become number 1 smartphone company in China: Counterpoint Report

Apple has made reparability worse on iPhone 13

Apple iPhone sales have picked up in China after a long slump. According to a report by Counterpoint, Apple surpassed Chinese smartphone maker Vivo to become the largest smartphone vendor in China in October 2021.

The report notes that Apple’s recent dominance in the Chinese markets was driven by strong iPhone 13 series sales. The Cupertino tech giant grew 46 percent MoM, which was the highest among all the major OEMs in China.

Source: Counterpoint

Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint said, “Ever since Huawei's decline, the top position in China has been changing hands. OPPO became number one in January 2021 while Vivo attained the top position in March 2021.”

Apple has not held the top spot in the Chinese smartphone market since December 2015. Apple also became the third smartphone brand to attain the top spot in China this year. Vivo managed to attain the first spot in March 2021, while Oppo held the spot in January 2021.

Counterpoint noted that Apple’s top finish was driven by the success of the iPhone 13 series, which was also launched cheaper than the iPhone 12 series in China. Huawei’s grip on the Chinese market also seems to be slipping, with Apple looking to capitalise on the gap left by Huawei in the premium segment. The report also notes that Apple could have facilitated further growth in the country had it not been for the supply constraints.