Apple’s iPhone shipments in China surge 20% in Q1: Counterpoint

[BEIJING] Apple’s iPhone shipments rose 20 per cent in China in the first quarter.

It had the strongest growth among major vendors despite an overall decline as rising prices of memory chips boosted costs, data from Counterpoint Research showed.

Overall smartphone shipments dropped 4 per cent in the world’s largest smartphone market in the January-to-March period, hit by supply-chain disruptions and the soaring chip prices.

But China’s two largest smartphone vendors, telecommunication giants Huawei and Apple, bucked the trend, reporting growth of 2 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively.

“As most rivals raise prices, Apple stands out for (its) value, with Chinese consumers knowing its products last at least three years,” said Ivan Lam, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research.

He added that Huawei’s shipments were lifted by strong demand across both its high-end and budget ranges, including the Enjoy 90 series, giving it a 20 per cent market share in the quarter.

It retained the top spot, followed by Apple with a share of 19 per cent.

Smartphone vendors in China have raised prices for budget handsets to protect margins in the battle with elevated memory chip costs.

Xiaomi slipped to sixth place with a plunge of 35 per cent in shipments. Lam attributed the sharp decline to a high base effect, after it benefited from aggressive price cuts and government subsidies in the corresponding period in 2025.

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Apple leads smartphone market even as overall shipments decline: Counterpoint

Shipments by Oppo and Honor also fell 5 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively, though Vivo had a rise of 2 per cent, buoyed by strong sales during the Chinese New Year holiday.

He expected more headwinds for the market in the second quarter, particularly as Chinese brands look to raise their prices further.

“However, we expect Apple and Huawei to fare relatively better, with Huawei potentially seeing further shipment growth driven by solid demand for its lower-end devices,” Lam noted. REUTERS