China's 5G Smartphone Market Deep Dive: Apple Dominates, Huawei and Honor Rise in 2024

China's 5G Smartphone Market Deep Dive: Apple Dominates, Huawei and Honor Rise in 2024A 2024 annual report by Daily Interaction Big Data highlights this intense competition. Apple maintained its leading position with a 32

China's 5G Smartphone Market Deep Dive: Apple Dominates, Huawei and Honor Rise in 2024

The Chinese 5G smartphone market experienced robust growth in 2024. Data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) reveals that 2.41 billion 5G phones were shipped domestically from January to November 2024, accounting for 86.2% of the total domestic smartphone shipments and demonstrating a 12% year-on-year increase. This signifies 5G phones absolute dominance in the market. However, brand competition remains fiercely contested.

A 2024 annual report by Daily Interaction Big Data highlights this intense competition. Apple maintained its leading position with a 32.72% market share throughout 2024. OPPO, Honor, Huawei, vivo, and Xiaomi followed closely, holding market shares of 13.22%, 12.33%, 11.75%, 10.92%, and 9.6%, respectively. Realme also secured a place, while Samsung and Meizu are increasingly marginalized, exhibiting diminishing market presence and brand awareness among consumers.

Notably, in the Top 20 popular 5G models of 2024, Honor, Huawei, vivo, and OPPO successfully carved out a significant presence amidst the strong competition from Apple's iPhone lineup, showcasing their robust brand competitiveness. Honor X50 consistently ranked highly, with a 13.33% increase in market share compared to mid-2024, reflecting its strong appeal. Huawei Mate60 Pro maintained a steady position at 17th, showing a 7.8% increase in market share since mid-year, demonstrating sustained market vitality.

However, Apple remains the undisputed market leader. The iPhone 13 secured the top spot, while iPhone 12, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, and iPhone 13 Pro occupied the top eleven positions, highlighting Apple's unshakeable dominance in the high-end market and its powerful brand influence. This demonstrates Apple's superior overall market share and absolute control over the premium segment.

Fourth-quarter 2024 data further underscores the intense competition. Honor's market share increased by 14.38% in Q4, securing second place with a 51.85% year-on-year growth and a 12.61% increase compared to mid-2024, exhibiting a strong growth trajectory. Huawei's market share grew by 12.28% in Q4, representing a 26.86% year-on-year increase, also demonstrating impressive market performance. The strong Q4 performance of Honor and Huawei reflects their precise market strategies and strong product competitiveness.

Analyzing the distribution of Android brands across different city tiers reveals Huawei's unwavering dominance in Tier 1 and new Tier 1 cities. Simultaneously, Huawei's active expansion into Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4 cities and beyond shows year-on-year growth of 11.89%, 13.38%, and 11.17%, respectively, demonstrating its comprehensive expansion strategy and strong market penetration capabilities. This indicates Huawei's significant growth across all city tiers, showcasing the success of its market strategy.

Huawei's all-out offensive is also evident in its appeal across different age groups. Huawei phone adoption is increasing among the 25-34, 35-44, and 45+ age groups, indicating growing acceptance of Huawei's products and brand image. The 18-24 age group, however, shows fiercer competition, with OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi vying for market leadership. This segment will remain a key battleground, with competition intensifying further.

In conclusion, the 2024 Chinese 5G smartphone market shows Apple's clear dominance, alongside the strong rise of Huawei and Honor. Apple's powerful brand influence and high-end products have secured its dominant market position, while Huawei and Honor, through aggressive market strategies and product innovation, have successfully established themselves and shown strong growth potential. Future competition will intensify, with brands vying for superiority in product innovation, market strategy, and brand building. Consumers will benefit from a wider variety of high-quality 5G phones. However, Apple's leading position remains unchallenged in the short term. The rise of Huawei and Honor has injected new vitality and a reshaped competitive landscape into the market, making future market trends worthy of continued observation.