Apple’s iPhone sales jump 52 percent in China during April 2024

Apple’s smartphone shipments in China rose 52 percent in April 2024 compared to a year earlier, extending a rebound seen in March, according to data from a research firm affiliated with the Chinese government. 

The jump follows a weak performance by the U.S. tech giant in the world’s biggest smartphone market earlier this year, amid intensifying competition in the high-end smartphone category from local rivals like Huawei.

Shipments of foreign-branded phones in China increased by 52 percent in April 2024 to 3.495 million units, up from 2.301 million a year earlier, according to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). 

Read more: Apple’s iPhone becomes China’s best-selling smartphone for the first time in 2023

Apple likely driving foreign brand growth

While the data did not explicitly mention Apple, the company is the dominant foreign phone maker in China’s smartphone market, suggesting the increase in foreign-branded shipments can be attributed to Apple’s performance.

Apple’s China shipments rebound in March 2024

Apple’s shipments in China increased by 12 percent in March 2024, marking a significant improvement from the first two months of the year, when the company experienced a 37 percent slump in sales.

Sales may see a further boost in May 2024 as Apple launched an aggressive discounting campaign on its official Tmall site in China, offering discounts of up to 2,300 yuan ($318) on select iPhone models. This price reduction is double the size of a discount the company offered in February.

Huawei introduces new high-end smartphones

The discounting campaign comes after Huawei introduced its new series of high-end smartphones, the Pura 70, following the launch of the Mate 60 last August. Huawei has also been ramping up its retail strategy by opening more flagship stores and adding more retail distributors.

Earlier in May 2024, Apple CEO Tim Cook forecast iPhone sales growth in some markets, including China, after the company reported an 8.1 percent drop in second-quarter revenue from the Greater China region.

Overall smartphone sales in China increased by 25.5 percent to 22.7 million units in April 2024, according to the CAICT data.

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