Smartphone Sales Rebounds Q4 2023: China Sees Positive Signs

The decline of the mobile phone market in mainland China continued in the fourth quarter of 2023, but at a slower pace than in previous quarters. Overall shipments of smartphones in China reached 73.9 million units in Q4 2023, a decrease of 1% year-on-year. 

For the full year 2023, smartphone shipments in China declined by 5% year-on-year to 273 million units. Apple was the number one smartphone brand for the year, shipping 47.4 million units and capturing a 19% market share. Vivo, OPPO, and Honor were closely matched in second, third, and fourth place, respectively, with market shares of around 16% each. Xiaomi ranked fifth with a 13% market share, and Huawei came in sixth with a 12% market share. 

Huawei surges 47% to return to top four, returning to the top five shipments in the Chinese market after 10 quarters. Mate 60 Pro has become the leading model in driving the recovery of Huawei's shipments through innovative features such as self-developed Kirin chips and satellite calls.  

The overall market has also experienced a structural recovery driven by Huawei's new flagship models, and the performance of the high-end market has further grown. The Chinese market's enthusiasm for Huawei's new products reflects local consumers' demand for software and hardware innovation.  

Other manufacturers are also building brand highlands by accelerating the iteration of flagship new products, strategic release of device-side AI large models, and the introduction of a series of innovative functions.