According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, China smartphone shipments dropped -7% YoY to 84 million units in Q4 2021. The sluggish Q4 performance dragged down the full year shipment to 329 million units in 2021, down -2% YoY. Apple topped China smartphone market in Q4 2021, for the first time ever with the record high market share 22%.

Apple posted a banner quarter. For the first time ever, Apple shipped 18.5 million units of iPhones and topped China Market with a record 22% market share in Q4 2021, benefiting from Huawei’s retreat in premium segment. Its shipment went up +9% YoY, fueled by the competitive pricing of iPhone 13 series and the solid channel promotions. For full-year 2021, Apple ranked the fourth place with 15% market share, behind vivo, OPPO (OnePlus), and Xiaomi.

Honor ranked the third place in Q4 2021 and shipped 14.2 million units of smartphones, taking 17% market share.  Honor continues the resilience track in home market thanks to the extended product portfolio, the successful channel expansion in both online and offline, and the secured partnership with key suppliers and distributors. It ranked the fifth place in 2021 full year. In Q4 2021, Xiaomi ranked the fifth place and registered +8% YoY growth rate, mainly driven by the solid performance in online channel. It took the third spot in full year 2021.

OPPO (OnePlus) ranked the second place with 18% market share in Q4 2021. Its sibling brand vivo fell to the fourth spot and took 16% market share this quarter. Both vendors had headwinds, including the intensified competition from the resilient Honor, the mixed performance in online channel, and the unfavorable product launch cycle etc. However, the two vendors managed to maintain the top 2 positions in China market for 2021 full year, ahead of Xiaomi, Apple, and Honor.