Apple Is the Odd One Out in China's Smartphone Market

Despite a record fourth quarter with shipments reaching 117 million units, the Chinese smartphone market slowed down significantly in 2015. As vendors struggled to find more first-time buyers and the economic climate in the People’s Republic worsened, the market’s growth slowed down from 20 percent in 2014 to just 2.5 percent in 2015. According to IDC, a total of 434 million devices were shipped in the world's largest smartphone market over the past 12 months.

With 64.9 million smartphones shipped, Xiaomi maintained its market lead while Samsung and Lenovo, last year’s second and third-placed brands, fell out of the Top 5 altogether. Samsung in particular saw its position weakened across all segments as Chinese vendors gained traction in the lower end of the market and Apple dominated the premium segment.

The iPhone maker saw its market share jump from 8.8 percent in 2014 to 13.4 percent, mainly thanks to the brand’s strong appeal to Chinese consumers. Selling at an average price that is at more than three times as high as it is for most of its competitors, Apple’s devices are still considered status symbols in China. In fact, when Chinese consumers were asked for their favorite luxury brand in 2015, it was Apple that took the top honors – ahead of Gucci and Louis Vuitton.