Huawei and Apple battle for supremacy in Chinese premium phone market

Huawei and Apple have once again jumped into the Chinese premium phone wrestling arena. Both brands are putting efforts into providing innovative AI-packed handsets in one of the largest smartphone markets, regardless of certain limits.

A recently released Counterpoint report shows that Huawei and Apple have significantly contributed to the Chinese premium phone market. While the Pura phone maker achieved positive growth, the iPhone developer once again faced a drop.

iPhone sales have slipped to 54% in 2024 Chinese premium handset ranking due to various factors. Firstly, consumers are instructed to buy native devices and support China-based companies instead of foreign products like Apple or Samsung.

On the flip side, the absence of AI in the iPhone didn’t impress consumers much. Almost every Chinese phone has the power of artificial intelligence, but the capability lacks from the top-end Apple devices. Innovation is another point in this list.

Despite these flaws, Apple ranked first in the Chinese premium phone listing for 2024. Of course, the credit goes to the brand name and amazing sales during the Double 11 season. Huawei follows the iPhone maker at the second spot with 29% growth.

Huawei and Apple battle for supremacy in Chinese premium phone market (Image Credits: Apple)

The Chinese tech giant witnessed another achievement in the phone market due to Kirin 5G-powered Nova 13 series and Pura 70 models. The mid-range lineup attracted consumers for its unique design and AI photo-editing tools.

Besides, the Pura 70 series remained at the top in the flagship listing for its Pro-grade camera system, a fancy makeover, and improved Kirin 5G chipset.

Regardless of US sanctions and a tight supply chain, the company managed to launch another improved Kirin chip – 9020 for the Mate 70 series. This step will likely generate more sales revenue for the company.

Counterpoint suggests that both Huawei and Apple account for 83% of the total sales in the Chinese premium smartphone market. That hints, both tech giants will continue to lock horns in the upcoming quarters with their top-end flagship phones.