China’s entire smartphone market faced a severe downturn this year with several setbacks in production. However, Apple still managed to increase its market share with the iPhone 14 lineup despite seeing lower shipments compared to 2021.
Apple sees a decline in iPhone 14 shipments in China
Since the launch of Apple’s iPhone 14 lineup in September, supply chain problems in China have had a significant impact on the availability of the iPhone 14 Pro. Although shipping delays have started to ease, Apple is still predicted to experience a fall in cumulative iPhone sales as a result.
According to a new report from J.P. Morgan and China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (via AppleInsider), If data from September and October 2022 is combined to account for the later iPhone 13 Pro arrival dates in 2021, shipments decreased by around 14%. iPhone shipments in October reveal a 30% decrease year-over-year without those consolidated figures.
The fact that the iPhone 13 was released in late September as opposed to mid-September for the iPhone 14 only served to increase demand. This can be seen by the high -30% percentage, in October 2021.
Despite this decrease, Apple recorded a 1% year-over-year growth in its market share in China. It had a market share of roughly 21% in 2021 and 22% in 2022. This comes as a result of a general 18% year-over-year decline in demand for smartphones in the region.
The J.P. Morgan note also highlights that in October, 80% of all shipments were made up of 5G cellphones. The shipment volume has increased from 79% in October 2021.
The data included in the note only covers information through October. According to J.P. Morgan, the COVID lockdowns and ensuing protests in Zhengzhou will have a stronger impact in the months of November and December.
In related news, China has finally lifted COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai and Zhengzhou. Production will likely resume in full swing soon.
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