Shipments of Apple iPhones in China saw a notable increase of 12% in March, according to data from a research firm associated with the Chinese government.
The surge in shipments of foreign-branded phones, totaling 3.75 million units, compared to 3.35 million units in the previous year, was highlighted in a report published on Wednesday by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.
Although the report did not explicitly mention Apple, the tech giant is the dominant foreign phone maker in China’s smartphone market.
It’s inferred that Apple’s performance significantly contributed to the rise in shipments of foreign-branded phones.
The boost in Apple’s sales during March can be attributed to a concerted effort by the company and third-party sellers to offer discounts. Some iPhone 15 models were available at discounts of up to 10%.
These price reductions likely stimulated demand and drove growth in Apple’s market share in China. This turnaround comes after a challenging start to 2024, with a 37% decline in sales during the first two months, as per Reuters calculations based on CAICT data.
Counterpoint, a research firm, reported a 19% drop in Apple’s smartphone shipments in China during the first quarter of the year, marking its worst performance since 2020. This decline was primarily attributed to the successful sales of a high-end smartphone by Huawei launched in the previous August.
Despite the downturn in smartphone shipments, Apple’s recorded sales for the fiscal second quarter, ending March 30 in the Greater China region, amounted to $16.37 billion. While this figure represented an 8.1% decrease, it surpassed analyst expectations of $15.59 billion, according to data from Visible Alpha.
