The According to IDC’s latest report In the first quarter of 2024, HONOR became the leading brand in China’s smartphone market. According to Arthur Guo, IDC’s senior research analyst, its diverse portfolio, as well as its popular AI functions offering of the Magic6 series thanks to the company. Antonio Wang, vice president of IDC, also reported that HONOR’s premium share is growing rapidly and experienced a 123.3% year-on-year expansion in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Chinese company’s information. Moreover, during this period, its share of the bendable phone market was second in China, while sales of the Magic6 series have already surpassed its predecessor’s first half performance.
According to preliminary data from IDC, smartphone shipments in China rose 6.5% year-on-year to 69.3 million units in 1Q24. The higher-than-expected sales were mainly due to the strong growth of Honor and Huawei, which also helped the overall Android market grow by 9.3% year-on-year. On the other hand, Apple decreased by 6.6% in the same period and had to face more intense competition. The Lunar New Year in the first quarter of 2024 also stimulated the desire to buy and the demand for low and mid-range devices. In the high-end segment, AI and foldable products have allowed Android smartphone makers to further differentiate themselves from Apple and have attracted increased interest from Chinese consumers.
| company | First quarter of 2024 | First quarter of 2023 |
| Honor | 17.1% | 16.1% |
| Huawei | 17.0% | 8.6% |
| OPPO | 15.7% | 19.8% |
| Apple | 15.6% | 17.8% |
| Fencer | 14.6% | 17.4% |
| other manufacturers | 20.1% | 20.4% |
| (source: IDC) | 100% | 100% |
“Honor moved into first place thanks to its well-rounded product portfolio and the Magic 6 series, which came with popular AI features,” said Arthur Guo, senior analyst for customer system research at IDC China, who said that while Huawei’s comeback is strong, supply limitations are still a sore point for them. And Apple’s quarterly price promotions could not mitigate the impact of intense competition from Android players.
“The tight competition among high-end players suggests that Chinese consumers are more likely to switch between brands,” said Will Wong, senior research manager for client devices at IDC Asia/Pacific. Thus, according to the expert, manufacturers have an increased need to constantly innovate, thereby building customer loyalty.
