iPhone 11 Popularity Earns Apple Double-Digit Growth in China

Apple saw a significant jump in smartphone shipments in China last month thanks in part to the popularity of the iPhone 11, according to Bloomberg.

iphone 11 and 11 pro no background

The iPhone maker’s shipments in China grew 18.7% year on year in December to roughly 3.18 million units, according to Bloomberg calculations based on government data on overall and Android device shipments. The increase marked an acceleration from the prior months, which were buoyed by the iPhone 11’s release in September. The numbers come from the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology, a government think tank.

Apple's ‌iPhone‌ 11 and ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro brought significant improvements in battery life and camera quality over previous models, and have been well received by consumers and critics in China.

Apple's business last year in the country was strengthened in other ways, too. The company benefited from a sales tax cut that allowed it to decrease the price of its products, while investors took comfort in what Apple CEO Tim Cook called a "much better tone" in the China-U.S. trade relationship.

Looking ahead, the double-digit growth in shipments bodes well for Apple in the buildup to the Chinese New Year, which falls in late January this year.

However, the company still has some work to do if it is to put a significant dent in the market share of local vendors led by Huawei, which gained a dominant position domestically last year, despite its struggles abroad.

Tag: China
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...

Top Rated Comments

djcerla Avatar
59 months ago

The growth is related only to the shipment. Not impressive!
Yeah they probably shipped more just to burn them for warmth. It’s a cold winter in China.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Justanotherfanboy Avatar
59 months ago

The growth is related only to the shipment. Not impressive!
https://www.coursehero.com/file/11855122/Apple-JIT/

Educate yourself!!! =)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Harmonious Zen Avatar
59 months ago

Double digit could be anything from 10% to 99%. It’s amusing to state factual accurate information.
The article specifically states 18%...

While Chinese people probably prefer their own phones, much of the reason these days is because the budget phones are SO good that there’s really no reason for most people to splurge for an iPhone, especially considering people in China live in WeChat. Restrict Huawei and Oppo to only making >$600 phones and then see how much people like homegrown phones. :)

And on top of all that Apple is not trying to go budget anyway. They’re always going to primarily shoot to occupy the premium segment. These days they’re also trying to reach a little bit lower, but they’ll never compete with 3-400 dollar Huawei or Oppo phones, nor should they.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
riverrun46 Avatar
59 months ago

Good for Apple, but the Communist Party of China’s will always prefer its own vendors. Hard for me to envision a particularly large “dent.”
Huawei grew like 50% in China market this year, mostly because of its extremely successful marketing strategy instead of political reasons. Not only Apple, other China vendors like Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo also suffered from a painful decline this year, like 30% or even more. They were desperately seeking growth overseas because of Huawei's domestic dominance.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dumastudetto Avatar
59 months ago
It's good to see the Chinese people recognise that iPhone 11 Pro is the best smartphone on the market. Apple deserves this success.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sundog925 Avatar
59 months ago
I can see this.

I used to poo-poo the XR before I bought an 11, (mostly because I thought I would miss TouchID) and wow, blown away at how I just love the phone.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)