The tech giant shipped 10.8 million iPhones in the period, securing a 15.8% market share and ranking second among smartphone vendors in the world’s largest mobile market. Overall, China’s smartphone shipments slipped 0.6% to 68.4 million units, although the contraction was milder than the 4% drop recorded in the previous quarter.
IDC attributed Apple’s resilience to the strong performance of its new entry-level iPhone 17 model, which appealed to cost-conscious consumers seeking better value. “Apple’s value-for-money base model iPhone 17 successfully captured value-seeking customers, helping it to achieve slight growth and a higher ranking than the previous quarter,” said Will Wong, a senior smartphone analyst at IDC.
Apple was the only brand among China’s top three smartphone vendors to post growth during the quarter. Huawei’s shipments fell 1% to 10.4 million units, placing it third, while Xiaomi dropped 1.7% to 10 million units, ranking fourth. Market leader Vivo also saw a 7.8% year-on-year decline, shipping 11.8 million units.
Despite the generally weak demand, IDC projected a mild rebound in China’s smartphone market early in the fourth quarter, driven by new flagship model releases that began rolling out in September.