China's smartphone shipments fell 11% in Q4 2021, while Honor surged 100% to second place

On February 16, local time, research firm Counterpoint released a report stating that in the fourth quarter of 2021, China's smartphone shipments fell 11% year-on-year. But both Apple and Honor brought surprises and continued the trend of changing competitive landscape.

Among all brand manufacturers, Apple ranked first and achieved its highest market share ever, thanks to the launch of the relatively low-priced iPhone 13, which led to its dominance in the high-end market.

Honor’s market share more than tripled from a year ago, making it the second-largest smartphone maker in China for the first time since becoming an independent company. Mid- to high-end products boosted the brand’s sales, with the Honor 50, for example, maintaining its top spot in the $200-599 price range five months after its launch.

In addition, in the fourth quarter of 2021, if the sub-brand OnePlus is included, OPPO rises to third place. Vivo's shipments fell 13.8% year-on-year, ranking fourth with a market share of 16.5%. Xiaomi fell to fifth place, continuing its downward trend.

Entering 2022, Honor is expected to maintain its growth momentum with the help of newly launched products such as Honor 60 and Magic V, the report said. Counterpoint's weekly China sales data showed that the vendor had strong momentum, with sales in the last two weeks of January increasing by 32% compared with the previous two weeks. Its market share reached a record high of 17% in the week ending January 30.