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According to data from a Chinese government research firm, Apple’s smartphone shipments in China rose nearly 40% in May from the same month a year earlier, continuing a recovery seen in April.
Shipments of foreign-branded mobile phones in China rose by 3.603 million units in May from a year earlier to 5.028 million units, according to calculations based on data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).
The data does not explicitly mention Apple, but the company is the largest foreign phone maker in China’s smartphone-dominated market.
This suggests that the increase in shipments of foreign-branded phones is due to Apple’s performance.
Apple’s sales surge comes after the tech giant posted weak performance in the world’s largest smartphone market earlier this year amid stiff competition from domestic rivals such as Huawei in the premium smartphone segment.
Apple launched an aggressive discount campaign on its official Tmall site in China in May, slashing prices of some iPhone models by up to 2,300 yuan ($316.71), helping to boost sales.
Apple’s May sales increase extended the previous two months of recorded growth, which included a 52% increase in April.
This marks a significant improvement from the first two months of 2023, when the company experienced a 37% drop in sales.
Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook predicted iPhone sales would grow in some markets, including China, after the company reported an 8.1% drop in greater China revenue in the second quarter.
The May price cuts are double the size of those offered in February and come after Huawei unveiled a new series of high-end smartphones, the Pura 70, in April, following the launch of the Mate 60 in August last year.
Huawei overtook Apple to become China’s second-largest smartphone vendor in the first quarter and has been stepping up its retail strategy, including opening flagship stores and expanding its retail outlets.
Huawei spin-off Honor maintained its top spot.
China’s mobile phone sales rose 16.5 percent to 30.33 million units in May, according to data from the China Communications and Information Technology Administration.
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