China’s Smartphone Market Takes a Hit in February, With Local Brands Dominating and Foreign Products Facing a Slower Growth Rate

The smartphone market in China experienced a significant decline in February, following a positive trend witnessed in January. Data released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology revealed that smartphone shipments dropped more than 30% year-on-year, totaling 14 million units for the month. Local brands dominated the market, accounting for approximately 83% of the total shipments, while foreign products saw only about 2.4 million units shipped in February, marking a 31.7% decrease from the previous year.

Looking at the first two months of 2024, total smartphone shipments increased by 12.5% to 43.6 million units, with 5G models seeing growth of 13.3%, totaling 38.7 million units shipped. Apple has been facing a slowdown in iPhone demand in China, with unit sales falling by 24% year-on-year in the first six weeks of 2024, according to Counterpoint Research. This trend poses a significant challenge for smartphone manufacturers, particularly foreign brands, as they strive to maintain their market share in one of the most competitive environments globally.

Kuo Ming-Chi, an analyst at TF International Securities, had predicted in late January that annual iPhone shipments would decline by about 15%. This trend poses a significant challenge for smartphone manufacturers as they struggle to adapt to rapidly changing market dynamics and innovate to maintain their market position.

In January, total smartphone shipments surged by 61.4% to 29.5 million units, with local brands experiencing a massive increase of over