China smartphone shipments fall for sixth straight quarter
AAPL•China's third-quarter smartphone shipments fell 15.4% year over year to 57.9 million units, IDC said. Huawei led with a 21% share, while Apple's shipments fell 4.3%.
1. Shipments decline
China's third-quarter smartphone shipments fell 15.4% from a year earlier to 57.9 million units, according to IDC. Huawei was the only major vendor to post double-digit growth, shipping 12.2 million units for a 21% market share.
2. Vendor performance
Apple ranked second with a 17.8% share, though its shipments in China fell 4.3%. Shipments for Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi declined 17.6%, 24.9% and 20.4%, respectively.
3. Costs and product mix
IDC cited weak consumer spending and higher prices for memory chips and other components. Vendors have passed higher costs on to consumers, pushing up retail prices as shipments shrink, said IDC senior analyst Arthur Guo. IDC said Huawei's broad lineup and relatively modest price increases helped it extend its run this year; Apple's new iPhones sold better than expected, but having fewer models weighed on shipments. Honor was the only leading brand whose shipments grew from the previous quarter, which IDC said suggested a possible rebound.
