Apple defies China smartphone slump with modest Q3 growth

Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AAPL#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]) smartphone shipments in China rose 0.6% year-on-year to 10.8 million units in the third quarter, despite a generally sluggish market, according to IDC data released Wednesday.

The tech giant captured a 15.8% market share in Q3, securing the second-highest shipments during the period. China’s total smartphone shipments fell 0.6% to 68.4 million units, an improvement from the 4% decline recorded in Q2.

“Apple’s value-for-money base model iPhone 17 successfully attracted price-conscious customers, driving modest growth and a higher ranking than last quarter,” said Will Wong, senior smartphone analyst at IDC.

Among China’s top three vendors, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AAPL]) was the only brand to see shipment growth. Huawei fell 1% to 10.4 million units (third place), Xiaomi (OTCPK:XIACF [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/XIACF#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]) (OTCPK:XIACY [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/XIACY#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]) dropped 1.7% to 10 million units (fourth place), while Vivo, the market leader, saw shipments fall 7.8% to 11.8 million units.

IDC expects China’s smartphone market to rebound in early Q4, supported by recent flagship launches.

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