IPhone shipments in China decreased by 33% year-on-year in February this year

According to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, the shipment volume of Apple’s iPhone in China in February 2024 decreased by about 33% year-on-year, continuing the decline in demand for this flagship device in the most important overseas market. Affected by the Lunar New Year, the shipment volume of foreign brands of smartphones in the Chinese market in February was only about 2.4 million units, marking the second consecutive month of decline. Apple accounts for the majority of these shipments and is the only overseas manufacturer with a significant market share. According to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, the total shipment of foreign brand mobile phones in January was about 5.5 million units, a decrease of about 39% from the previous year. Since the launch of Apple’s latest generation model in September last year, its best-selling product has been struggling in the Chinese market. Huawei has once again become a strong competitor in the high-end mobile phone industry, taking away Apple’s market share, while the slowdown in iPhone sales led to a rare discount for this US company in January. Canalys analyst Nicole Peng said, “Apple’s retail channels in China are still digesting shipments in the fourth quarter of 2023, which may be the reason for the decline in shipments in recent months. However, this marks a slowdown in Apple’s trend in China in the coming months, especially when Chinese peers are very active in promoting artificial intelligence (AI) smartphones.” An Apple spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In February, the total shipment volume of smartphones in the Chinese smartphone market was 14.257 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 32.9%, indicating that consumers are less willing to consume non essential goods. Analysts still predict growth this year, but they expect iPhone sales to continue to deteriorate.