Huawei Reclaims Top Spot in China's Smartphone Market: Q4 2024 Market Report Analysis

Huawei Reclaims Top Spot in China's Smartphone Market: Q4 2024 Market Report AnalysisOn January 21, 2025, Counterpoint Research, a leading market analysis firm, released its report on the Chinese smartphone market for Q4 2024. The data reveals a 3

Huawei Reclaims Top Spot in China's Smartphone Market: Q4 2024 Market Report Analysis

On January 21, 2025, Counterpoint Research, a leading market analysis firm, released its report on the Chinese smartphone market for Q4 2024. The data reveals a 3.2% year-on-year decline in shipments, continuing the negative growth trend. However, amidst this overall market contraction, Huawei staged a remarkable comeback, capturing the top position with an 18.1% market share. This marks Huawei's return to market leadership for the first time since the US restrictions.

Counterpoint's Senior Research Analyst, Mengmeng Zhang, points out that Huawei's shipments grew by 15.5% year-on-year. This robust growth is primarily attributed to the successful launch of the mid-range Nova 13 series and the high-end Mate 70 series. These product lines effectively targeted market demand, winning over consumers with their powerful performance, innovative features, and competitive pricing, providing strong support for Huawei's market share recovery. The Nova 13 series focused on value for money, gaining wide acceptance among young users, while the Mate 70 series, with its high-end configuration and exceptional camera capabilities, attracted high-end consumers. The success of both series showcases Huawei's achievements in product development and market strategy.

Xiaomi follows Huawei in second place, with a 3.9% year-on-year growth in shipments during Q4 2024 and a 17.2% market share. Xiaomi's steady growth demonstrates its strong competitiveness, with its diversified product line and proactive marketing strategies enabling it to maintain a significant presence in the fiercely competitive market.

Surprisingly, Apple experienced a significant downturn in Q4 2024. Shipments plummeted by 18.2% year-on-year, resulting in a 17.1% market share and a third-place ranking. This is closely related to the overall market environment and Apple's own product strategy. The global economic slowdown and intensified competition in the high-end smartphone market have impacted Apple's sales performance.

Vivo showed relatively stable performance, achieving an 8% year-on-year growth in shipments and a 16.3% market share, securing fourth place. Vivo maintained steady growth leveraging its advantages in product design and user experience.

Honor and OPPO ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. Honor experienced a 12.8% year-on-year decline in shipments, resulting in a 13.6% market share, while OPPO saw a 9.3% year-on-year decrease, leading to a 12.5% market share. Both brands face significant pressure from competitors and need to further adjust their strategies to adapt to market changes.

Overall, the Chinese smartphone market in Q4 2024 presented a complex and volatile landscape. Huawei's strong return is undoubtedly the biggest highlight of the quarter, offering valuable lessons for other manufacturers. However, the overall negative growth trend remains a concern, requiring manufacturers to proactively address market challenges and continuously innovate to remain competitive.

Huawei's success is directly linked to its continuous investment in R&D and its precise grasp of market demand. The success of the Nova 13 and Mate 70 series was not accidental but a result of Huawei's long-term strategic planning, demonstrating its strong competitiveness in technological innovation and product positioning. Whether Huawei can maintain its leading position will depend on its future strategic deployments in product development, marketing, and supply chain management.

Meanwhile, other manufacturers face immense pressure. Xiaomi needs to maintain its steady growth; Apple needs to find new growth drivers to reverse its declining trend; Vivo needs to preserve its advantages and further enhance its market competitiveness; while Honor and OPPO require proactive strategic adjustments to meet market challenges.

The Q4 2024 report reflects the intensity of market competition and foreshadows the uncertainty of future market development. Against the backdrop of a global economic slowdown and accelerating technological transformation, the Chinese smartphone market will face more challenges and opportunities. Only through continuous innovation and adaptation to market changes can manufacturers achieve success. Huawei's return marks only the beginning of a new chapter in the competition; the future promises even more exciting developments.