In the first quarter of 2024, the domestic mobile phone market activation: vivo leads, Apple plummets, and Huawei returns to the top five
1. Changes in the market pattern: vivo leads in growth, while Apple suffers a decline
In the first quarter of 2024, the domestic mobile phone market pattern showed some noteworthy changes:
vivo leads strongly and continues to maintain the market offensive
According to data from market research institute BCI, the top five domestic mobile phone activations in the first quarter of 2024 are: vivo, honor, Huawei, Apple and OPPO. Among them, vivo led the way with a market share of 16.9%, with 11.558 million activations. Vivo's good performance is not only due to the popularity of the flagship vivo X100 series, but the iQOO sub-brand has also contributed considerable sales to vivo.
Over the years, vivo has been focusing on expanding the mid-to-high-end market and continues to launch products that are well received by consumers. In the fourth quarter of 2023, vivo ranked second in smartphone shipments in Chinese mainland with the outstanding performance of its flagship models. In the first quarter of 2024, vivo still maintained a strong growth momentum and continued its leading position in the domestic market.
Apple suffered a sharp decline, down 20% from the same period last year
In stark contrast to vivo's strong growth, Apple's performance in the first quarter of 2024 has declined significantly. According to the data, Apple only ranked fourth in the domestic mobile phone activation ranking, down 20% year-on-year.
There are two main reasons for Apple's decline in the domestic market: first, the lack of breakthrough innovation in the iPhone 15 series has failed to trigger consumers' strong desire to buy a phone; Second, its pricing is still high, and the cost performance is weaker than that of domestic flagship models, which is difficult to meet the current consumer demand for cost-effective products.
Huawei returned to the top five and continued its recovery momentum
It is worth noting that in the first quarter of 2024, Huawei re-entered the top five in the ranking of domestic mobile phone activations. This once again confirms that Huawei is gradually recovering its business after experiencing a trough in 2022.
Huawei has returned to the top four smartphone shipments in Chinese mainland in the fourth quarter of 2023, mainly due to the good performance of its flagship models Mate 60 series and Mate X5 series. Entering the first quarter of 2024, Huawei's recovery momentum continued, not only making it into the top five, but also reaching 10.584 million activations, slightly higher than Apple's 10.569 million units.
Huawei's ability to achieve such outstanding performance in a short period of time is due to its continuous investment in technology research and development and product innovation, and on the other hand, it is also due to consumers' recognition of the Huawei brand. In particular, innovations in areas such as 5G technology and two-way satellite communications have enabled Huawei to win the favor of consumers again.
Second, the industry pattern may usher in new changes
The overall development momentum of domestic mobile phone brands is improving
Judging from the data of the first quarter of 2024, the performance of domestic mobile phone brands in the domestic market is generally good. In addition to vivo's strong leadership, brands such as Honor, Huawei, and OPPO have also entered the top five. This once again demonstrates the continuous breakthroughs of domestic mobile phone brands in technology research and development, product innovation and user experience.
In contrast, Apple's decline in the domestic market is obvious. The failure of the iPhone 15 series to trigger a strong consumer desire to buy a phone also highlights the advantages of domestic mobile phone brands in meeting domestic consumer demand. In the future, domestic mobile phone brands are expected to further expand their influence in the domestic market.
The competition in the mid-to-high-end market is becoming increasingly fierce
The changes in the pattern of the domestic mobile phone market also show that the mid-to-high-end market has become the focus of competition for major brands. Brands such as vivo, honor, and Huawei have increased their investment and layout in mid-to-high-end models, in order to further increase their market share.
At the same time, Apple's dominant position in the mid-to-high-end market is also under pressure. The performance of the iPhone 15 series did not fully meet the expectations of consumers, which gave domestic brands an opportunity. In the future, domestic mobile phone brands are expected to further narrow the gap with Apple in the mid-to-high-end market, and the competition may become more intense.
Innovation-driven will be the key to future development
Judging from the market performance in the first quarter of 2024, innovation is undoubtedly one of the key factors that determine the success of mobile phone brands. Brands such as vivo, honor, and Huawei have successfully attracted the favor of consumers through continuous investment in technology research and development and product innovation. Apple, which lacks breakthrough innovation, has suffered a significant setback in the domestic market.
It is foreseeable that the competition in the mobile phone market will pay more attention to technological innovation and user experience in the future. Brands that can consistently launch new products that meet the needs of consumers and provide high-quality services will stand out in the fierce market competition.
To sum up, the changes in the domestic mobile phone market pattern in the first quarter of 2024 reflect the new trend of the development of the entire industry. Domestic mobile phone brands are constantly enhancing their own strength, the competition in the mid-to-high-end market is becoming increasingly fierce, and innovation-driven has become the key to success. This undoubtedly brings more high-quality choices to consumers, and also injects new impetus into the future development of the industry.