Smartphone market share in China 2023, by leading model
A sprinkle of Apple
The Chinese smartphone market was dominated by Chinese brands with a stable share of Apple’s iPhone. As of 2022, at least 70 percent of the country’s market was occupied by domestic brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Honor. While these companies were able to replace most foreign brands, Apple was still able to carve out a consistent market share and even sell the most popular smartphone models in the country.The rise and fall of Huawei
Until 2021, Huawei was China’s largest smartphone manufacturer until the U.S. sanctions from two year earlier finally began to bite. After being placed on a trade black list, the Shenzhen-based tech giant was barred it from accessing important chips and other components. As a result, the company’s smartphone division and consequently its revenue took a significant hit. After Huawei’s demise, the former Huawei-owned Honor entered the market in 2021 and slowly carved out a chunk in the Chinese market.