A couple of weeks ago, Tim Cook predicted that iPhone sales will grow in some markets, including China, and he was right on the money. A report from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) shows that shipments of foreign-branded smartphones are up 52% in April – and most foreign-branded phones in China have an Apple logo on their backs.
So, while we don’t know the exact number, iPhone shipments saw a huge boost last month, which in turn is an improvement on the 12% increase in shipments in March. This is a rebound after Apple recorded a significant 37% fall during the first two months of 2024. Predictions at the time said that Apple’s numbers would continue to slip, but they were proven wrong.
This turnaround in fortune is attributed to the major discounts that Apple has been offering – up to CNY 2,300 ($320) on select models. These discounts should continue propelling iPhone sales upward in May.
The massive discounts started after Huawei introduced the Pura 70 series to the local market. Huawei elbowed past Apple and is now the second biggest smartphone brand in China, behind its former subsidiary Honor.
Based on CAICT’s numbers, there were a total of 3.495 million units of foreign-branded smartphones in China this April, up from 2.301 million in April last year. This is from a total of 22.7 million smartphones sold in April (a 25.5% increase year over year).
Despite a strong start, sales of the iPhone 15 series in China were weaker than the 14 series. There are a few months left to go, but soon the iPhone 16 series will take over with a number of improvements.