China's smartphone market is expected to experience its first growth in three years in 2024, with shipments increasing by 4.9 percent to reach 262 million units in the first 11 months, according to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).

Shipments of 5G smartphones rose by 12 percent year-on-year, totaling 241 million units, which represents 92 percent of all shipments.

This growth occurred despite a 22 percent decline in shipments from non-domestic vendors, which totaled 42 million units, as reported by CAICT.

While the data does not specify overseas brands, it is known that Apple constitutes a significant portion of non-domestic shipments.

In contrast, total smartphone shipments in November saw a decrease of 5.6 percent, amounting to 28.2 million units.

According to IDC, the smartphone market in China contracted by 5 percent in 2023, totaling 271.3 million units, and experienced a 13.2 percent decline in 2022, with shipments falling to 285.5 million units.

These figures marked the first time since 2012 that shipments fell below the 300 million threshold.

In its October 2024 forecast, IDC predicted a "positive growth trajectory" for the fourth quarter, although it noted that total shipments for the year were unlikely to exceed 300 million.