TECH

Chinese smartphone market is cooling down

Only Apple managed to hold its own in the Chinese mobile market in the third quarter, all other manufacturers, even the local giants, reported declining sales.

A survey by a state-supported Chinese institution does not paint a rosy picture, according to which in the first half of this year the amount of smartphones shipped in China decreased by 22.9 percent compared to the same period last year, which means 175.1 million devices between January and August. Examining only the month of August, the number is also high, the drop is 21.9 percent.

Examining the third quarter, 11 percent fewer phones were delivered, as the country's slowing economy restrained consumer demand, according to a report by market research company Canalys. Brands shipped a total of 70 million smartphones to retailers during the period, compared to 78.9 million in the same period last year.

Only Apple managed to stay on top of the waves, the apple company delivered 11.3 million iPhones to the country by 36 percent more, which was mainly driven by interest in the iPhone 14 Pro, while the basic model does not seem to be in high demand so far, thus is the fourth most popular manufacturer on the Chinese top list.

The Vivo brand, which belongs to the BBK conglomerate in Shenzhen, became the number one brand on the market with 14.1 million devices, taking 20 percent for itself. However, it can report 23%, 27% and 16% less shipments compared to local peers like OPPO and Honor.

China is not only one of the largest mobile markets in the world, but also a manufacturer: local brands such as Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi have claimed a place for themselves over time, alongside big-name rivals such as Samsung and Apple, its thanks to the fact that they were looking for opportunities to expand to the international market. In recent years, Xiaomi and Oppo, which became known for their cheap phones, started offering higher-priced products, while Huawei strengthened its position in the premium device market even before the US imposed sanctions on it.

In China, the era of economic miracles is coming to an end: on Monday, the report spoke of a 3.9 percent GDP growth in the period from July to September, which falls short of the double-digit growth that drove the country's economy forward for decades.

mundophone