BEIJING and NEEDHAM, Mass. – A shift of power that we saw on the worldwide stage also happened in China, the largest smartphone market globally. Apple became the leading smartphone company in China for the first time with record high market share of 17.3% in 2023. According to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, China smartphone shipments totaled 271.3 million units in 2023, which was a decline of 5.0% compared to 2022. This was the lowest volume in a decade, stemming from a soft economic recovery and weak consumer sentiment.

While the Chinese smartphone market remains challenged, it is moving towards recovery with the fourth quarter of 2023 (4Q23) delivering year-over-year growth of 1.2% on shipments of 73.6 million units, marking the end of ten consecutive quarters of year-over-year decline. The resilient high-end consumers in the tier 1-3 cities were the key drivers, fueling demand for flagship products. Meanwhile, demand for low- to mid-range devices remained weak, impeding the overall growth of the market as they represent over half the smartphone market in China.

Read the full press release here.

IDC