iPhone sales in China appear to be making a comeback with reports claiming that the iPhone 16 has taken the No. 2 spot in the market. According to the latest data from market intelligence firm IDC, the iPhone was out of the top 5 smartphone choices in China. However, strong appreciation for the iPhone 16 has resulted in Apple entering the top league once again in the third quarter of 2024.

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The iPhone shipments captured a decent 15.6 percent market share in the September-ending quarter, with Vivo taking the lead with 18.6 percent market share. Upon comparison from the same quarter last year, Apple had captured a market share of 16.1 percent, resulting in a 0.3 percent year on year fall in sales. However, the IDC report adds that the uptick in sales due to a new iPhone launch is fairly on par with previous generation releases.

Huawei leads rising patriotic fervour in China

Huawei took the third spot in the Chinese market with a 15.3 percent grab of the smartphone market. It is just behind Apple, having seen double-digit growth for four consecutive quarters.

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Huawei, the smartphone maker sanctioned by the US, has seen tremendous growth in the premium segment of smartphones. The growth is largely attributed to the fact that its devices are now powered by processors which are end-to-end produced within China. The move resulted in more consumers opting for Huawei phones in a patriotic zeal.

"A significant wave of device upgrades is propelling the sustained recovery of the Chinese smartphone market," reported senior research analyst for IDC China Arthur Guo.

China is the world's largest smartphone market and it saw a 3.2 percent growth in the third quarter of 2024. It is the fourth consecutive quarter with an uptick in growth, resulting in sales of 68.8 million units in the third quarter of 2024.

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