The smartphone market is heating up with intense competition among various companies. Manufacturers like Apple, Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, and other brands vying to expand their market share and boost sales. So, when we look at the overall picture of this competition, how did smartphone sales perform in 2023, especially considering the recent global decline in sales? According to the data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, China’s smartphone shipments rose by 6.5 percent year-on-year in 2023. Here are the details…

China’s Smartphone Market Jumps 6.5% in 2023

As mentioned above, the global smartphone market has been on a decline lately, mainly due to two factors. Firstly, people are hesitant to spend money due to the global inflation that started after Covid-19. Secondly, smartphones now provide more performance beyond our needs. Even entry-level phones can take good photos, provide sufficient performance for daily tasks, and charge quickly.

Moreover, mid-range and flagship smartphones from last few years offer a user experience far beyond that. In this scenario, people no longer find the same necessity to invest as much in technology as they did before. Nevertheless, the downward trend seems to have been broken in China in 2023. The shipments rose by 6.5% compared to the previous year, reaching 289 million units.

This growth is mainly driven by the increasing demand for 5G technology, with 240 million out of the total being 5G models, making up 82.8% of phone sales in China. Given China’s strong presence in the tech industry, the widespread adoption of 5G is not surprising. The demand surge is also supported by operators offering favorable tariffs.

Local brands like Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo continued their market leadership by selling 231 million units, while Samsung and Apple held a combined 58 million share. Despite Apple being the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, the data suggests that China’s contribution to this growth is relatively modest. It seems that users in the region still favor Android over iOS.

In 2023, various companies introduced 406 phones in China, a 5.5% increase from the previous year, potentially the highest globally. Being a technology production hub, China nurtures various local brands, fostering competition. However, only a handful of these brands succeed in moving beyond the “others” category in market statistics to gain a significant market share.

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