Apple Q1 smartphone shipments in China slide 19%

The news: Apple's smartphone shipments in China have tumbled in the first quarter of the year, in its worst performance since 2020, as the iPhone maker took a hit from rival Huawei's new product launches in the premium segment.

The numbers: Apple's share in the world's biggest smartphone market fell to 15.7% in the first quarter from 19.7% a year earlier. Huawei, which saw sales jump 70%, is now almost level, according to data from research firm Counterpoint.

Apple lost its crown as the biggest smartphone seller in China to rival Vivo, sliding to third place in the quarter, followed by Huawei whose market share jumped to 15.5% from 9.3% a year earlier. Honor, a mass market brand spun out of Huawei, was in second place.

The context: China is Apple's third-biggest market and generated around 17% of its total revenue in the December quarter. Its market share loss in China comes after separate data from IDC showed earlier this month that the US tech giant suffered nearly a 10% drop in global smartphone shipments in the first quarter of 2024, hurt by intensifying competition by Android smartphone makers led by Samsung Electronics.