Apple lost top rank in smartphones against Chinese brands

According to Canalys, an independent analyst firm, Apple might be losing its touch in China. The tech giant is now lagging behind its unlikely competitors; Xiaomi and Huawei. Both companies provide low-budget, yet good quality smartphones in the Chines market and in many other regions of the world. Does this mean Apple should consider making budget friendly smartphones?

Xiaomi and Huawei held a staggering 15.9% and 15.7% market share April – June period respectively in the China smartphone market. The figures for Apple were not disclosed though it seems that the figure must have been low. Among other contenders for smartphones market shares, Samsung and Vivo (China based) also had undisclosed figures but were lower than Apple.

See Also: Chinese factory busted for massive iPhone counterfeiting

Apple had held the top position for 3 months in 2015 but declined to 3rd place in the recent months. This is a surprise considering the reception of the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus in Autumn of the previous years. Apple gained spectacular numbers for their latest entries in the iPhone series.

Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple, addressed the recent figures with hopes of climbing back up the ranks. “We remain extremely bullish on China and we are continuing to invest, We would be foolish to change our plans. I think China is a fantastic geography with an incredible, unprecedented level of opportunity,”

Huawei had stated in July that their global smartphone shipments shot up by 39% year-on-year in the first half of 2015, this figure included 48.2 million units that were focused on mid-ranged to the high-end models. Though, Huawei and Xiaomi are working on reaching out to different segments in the Chinese smartphone market.

“We’re different than Xiaomi. No two companies are alike, If you want to compare us to other companies, you can see from the increase in (sales) volume that we have a lot of advantages” Ken Hu, Huawei deputy chairman and currently rotating chief executive officer, told journalists.

Huawei is currently in the process of looking into 5G technologies for communication, with Samsung in the race too. The race for 5G technologies will truly decide who will be the true king of Android smartphones in China.

Let us know your opinions in the comment section below.

Via Pakistan Today