Apple Faces Decline in Singles Day Sales as Huawei and Xiaomi Surge

Highlights

• Apple’s smartphone sales dipped 4% YoY during China’s Singles Day, in contrast to Huawei’s 66% and Xiaomi’s 28% growth.
• The overall Chinese smartphone market saw a 5% YoY rise, propelled by Huawei and Xiaomi.
• Apple’s iPhone 15 started at 5,999 yuan, Huawei’s Mate 60 at 5,499 yuan, and Xiaomi’s Mi 14 at 3,999 yuan.
• JD.com reported over 10 billion yuan in Apple product transactions during Singles Day, while Xiaomi’s gross merchandise value exceeded 22.4 billion yuan.
• Analysts predict a rebound in the Chinese smartphone market in Q4.
• Huawei’s Mate 60 gained patriotic support, showcasing resilience against U.S. export controls.
• Apple faced supply chain challenges affecting the availability of iPhone 15 models.
  

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In a recent report by Counterpoint Research, Apple experienced a 4% year-on-year decline in smartphone sales during China’s Singles Day shopping festival. In contrast, domestic competitors Huawei and Xiaomi saw significant growth, with Huawei recording a 66% increase and Xiaomi a 28% rise in units sold from October 30 to November 12.

The overall number of Chinese smartphones sold during the two-week promotional period increased by 5% year-over-year, primarily fueled by the robust performances of Huawei and Xiaomi.

During this period, the starting price for Apple’s latest iPhone 15 model was 5,999 yuan ($832), while Huawei’s Mate 60 smartphones began at 5,499 yuan ($763), and Xiaomi’s Mi 14 smartphone was priced from 3,999 yuan ($555).

Despite the absence of sales figures from major e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba and JD.com, JD.com mentioned that the transaction volume of Apple products on its platform exceeded 10 billion yuan ($1.39 billion) during the Singles Day period. Xiaomi reported a cumulative gross merchandise value of over 22.4 billion yuan.

Both Huawei and Apple have yet to respond to requests for comment on the sales data.

Analysts anticipate a rebound in the Chinese smartphone market, with IDC predicting year-on-year sales growth in the fourth quarter after ten consecutive quarters of declining shipments. However, Apple faced tough competition during the shopping festival, with e-commerce platforms offering significant discounts on iPhones.

The release timing of Apple’s iPhone 15 series, launched in late September, and Huawei’s Mate 60 series, introduced a month earlier, contributed to the heightened competition. The Mate 60 series garnered considerable patriotic support in China, with fans praising Huawei’s resilience against years of U.S. export controls.

Xiaomi’s flagship Mi 14 smartphone series, released in late October, achieved impressive sales, surpassing 1 million units shortly after launch.

Counterpoint analysts attributed Apple’s underperformance to supply chain issues that affected the availability of its new iPhone 15 models. Ivan Lam, senior analyst for manufacturing at Counterpoint, mentioned improvements compared to the previous month but noted ongoing supply challenges, expecting normalization in the near future.

As the Chinese smartphone market shows signs of recovery, the competition among smartphone brands continues to intensify, presenting challenges and opportunities for global players like Apple.