China smartphone market, 4Q 2023

Sales of smartphones in the Chinese market increased 23.5% quarter-on-quarter and 10.5% year-on-year to 78.2 million units in the fourth quarter of 2023, buoyed mainly by the promotional campaigns during the Singles' Day shopping festival, according to DIGITIMES Research. However, the research firm expects China's smartphone market to decline 18.2% sequentially to 64 million units in the first quarter of 2024.

The top five smartphone brands in the Chinese market in the fourth quarter of 2023 were Apple, Oppo, Vivo, Honor, and Xiaomi. Compared to the previous quarter, Apple jumped from sixth place to first, Oppo slipped one spot to second, while the third and fourth remained unchanged. Xiaomi dropped three ladders from second to fifth. Huawei fell out of the top five.

The top five brands had a combined market share of 97.9% in the fourth quarter, lower than the 98% a quarter earlier. During the quarter, Apple, Oppo and Honor saw their shipments decrease compared to a year earlier, as Vivo and Xiaomi registered shipment increases.