Huawei's Smartphones Surpassed Apple's iPhone Sales In China

The battle for the smatphone market in China took an unprecedented turn when sales of Huawei Technologies surpassed those of Apple in August - the first time in 46 months, according to a new report by research firm CINNO. Huawei's succesfull 5G handset comeback last year followed after the US sanctioned the company.

That aligned with findings from government think tank China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, which reported a 12.7 per cent year-on-year decline in imported smartphone shipments, including Apple's iPhone, in the same month. Those shipments fell to 1.87 million units in August, from 2.14 million a year earlier, as domestic smartphone shipments rose 26.7 per cent to 24.05 million during the same period.

Competition between Huawei and Apple in the world's biggest smartphone market has taken on new significance, as the Shenzhen-based telecommunications equipment giant has seen a revival of its handset business amid the US tech giant's recent struggles on the mainland.

The increasing strong demand for Huawei's high-end phone models, such as the Mate and Pura series, as well as foldable smartphones like the recently launched Mate XT, helped lift the firm's average selling price and wholesale revenue to record highs in the second quarter, according to TechInsights. It said China remains Huawei's core market, accounting for 89 per cent of its global smartphone shipments.

China's smartphone market has steadily gained momentum this year, with more consumers gravitating towards local brands. Huawei, which leads the market, had a 17.5 per cent share in the first half, when total domestic shipments exceeded 140 million units to grow 7.7 per cent from a year ago, according to data from research firm IDC.

Huawei's Mate XT trifold 5G smartphone generated plenty of buzz last month, when it was released on the same day Apple's iPhone 16 series hit store shelves in almost 60 countries.

Ahead of the new iPhone's release, Apple fell out of the top-five smartphone vendor rankings in China during the second quarter. Apple's market share on the mainland shrank to less than 14 per cent, according to IDC.