Apple’s Number 1 spot is China hitting record high in sales

Apple’s iPhone market share in China beat a record high in the fourth quarter last year.

The iPhone maker is reclaiming that China is the number one spot for the first time in six years.

According to Counterpoint Research, the Cupertino giant had 24% of the market, and sales rose 31% in the December quarter.

Despite a 9.1% decline in China’s overall smartphone sales, Apple saw solid growth, thanks to its iPhone 13 launched in September.

Mengmeng Zhang, Counterpoint Research’s analyst, talked about this process in a press release. He said that the new iPhone 13 led to its release in China. He also spoke about the new camera and 5G features.

5G is rolling out worldwide and quickly, especially in China.

He also said that Huawei, Apple’s main competitor, faced falling sales due to the continued U.S. sanctions.

Once the number one smartphone player in China and the world, Huawei has been down by U.S. sanctions. It cut the company off from key components and software for the devices.

China market declines while Apple shares rise

In the fourth quarter, Huawei had just a 7% market share in China. Counterpoint Research said that its sales dropped 74% year on year.

Chinese Vivo sat in second place with an 18% market share, followed by Oppo with 16%.

Honor, the smartphone brand previously owned by Huawei, was the fourth biggest player with a 15% market share, after Xiaomi with 14%.

These brands are Chinese domestic smartphone creators that have grown in the global markets.

Counterpoint Research said that sales in the smartphone market in China declined 2% year on year. This fall has several reasons.

One of the reasons is the global semiconductor and component shortage. According to Counterpoint Research senior analyst Ivan Lam, it has impacted the ability of sellers to ship phones.