{"id":46962,"date":"2026-01-19T11:35:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T11:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/19\/apple-tops-china-smartphone-sales-as-iphone-17-defies-chip-shortage\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T11:35:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T11:35:25","slug":"apple-tops-china-smartphone-sales-as-iphone-17-defies-chip-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/19\/apple-tops-china-smartphone-sales-as-iphone-17-defies-chip-shortage\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple tops China smartphone sales as iPhone 17 defies chip shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Apple Inc. reclaimed the top position in China\u2019s smartphone market during the holiday quarter, buoyed by a sharp rebound in iPhone shipments even as a deepening shortage of memory chips weighed on the broader industry.<\/p>\n

According to data from Counterpoint Research<\/a>, Apple\u2019s iPhone shipments in China rose 28% in the December quarter, allowing the company to capture about 20% of total smartphone shipments in the period. <\/p>\n

The strong performance contrasted with an overall market decline of 1.6% in the world\u2019s largest smartphone arena.<\/p>\n

The gains came largely at the expense of major domestic rivals. Huawei Technologies Co. and Xiaomi Corp. both recorded double-digit percentage drops in shipments during the quarter, Counterpoint estimated, underscoring shifting competitive dynamics at the high end of the market.<\/p>\n

iPhone demand lifts Apple above rivals<\/h2>\n

Counterpoint attributed Apple\u2019s rebound to strong consumer interest in the iPhone 17 lineup, which helped the company outperform peers in a slowing market. <\/p>\n

The surge in shipments marked a reversal from earlier periods when Chinese brands had been gaining ground.<\/p>\n

For the full calendar year, Apple finished just behind Huawei in China\u2019s shipment rankings, with each company holding roughly a 17% market share. <\/p>\n

Apple\u2019s total shipments in 2025 rose 7.5%, reflecting steady demand despite intensifying competition and supply constraints.<\/p>\n

One weak spot in Apple\u2019s lineup was the iPhone Air, a newer model that launched later in China than in other regions. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe iPhone Air underperformed,\u201d Counterpoint analyst Ivan Lam said. \u201cThe late launch and trade-offs between thinness and the feature set resulted in a slow start.\u201d<\/p>\n

Memory chip shortage reshapes the market<\/h2>\n

Apple\u2019s gains come amid mounting concerns across the technology sector over a global shortage of memory chips, which are critical for data storage in smartphones, PCs and other devices. <\/p>\n

Companies from Micron Technology Inc. to Xiaomi have warned about the uncertain impact of tightening supplies.<\/p>\n

The shortage has emerged as memory chipmakers divert more capacity toward high-end products used in artificial intelligence accelerators, particularly those tied to Nvidia Corp.<\/p>\n

As a result, prices for memory components are rising, squeezing manufacturers that lack long-term supply agreements.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking ahead, memory prices are expected to rise further, increasing by 40%\u201350% in Q1 2026, followed by an additional increase of around 20% in Q2 2026,\u201d Counterpoint analysts wrote. \u201cSmartphone OEMs are expected to optimize their product portfolios, with a particular focus on scaling back low-end models to preserve margins.\u201d<\/p>\n

High-end phones show resilience<\/h2>\n

Despite the supply crunch, high-end smartphones appear better insulated than lower-priced devices. <\/p>\n

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Chief Executive Officer C.C. Wei highlighted the uneven impact of the shortage last week, noting that premium smartphones have remained largely unaffected.<\/p>\n

Apple, whose entire smartphone portfolio sits in the upper tiers of the market, has shown notable resilience. <\/p>\n

Counterpoint also said a new round of Chinese consumer subsidies is helping ease cost pressures for manufacturers, offering some relief amid rising component prices.<\/p>\n

While the memory shortage continues to pose challenges for the global smartphone industry, Apple\u2019s latest results suggest that strong brand appeal and a focus on premium devices can help cushion the impact, even as overall market conditions remain subdued.<\/p>\n

The post Apple tops China smartphone sales as iPhone 17 defies chip shortage<\/a> appeared first on Invezz<\/a><\/p>\n

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Apple Inc. reclaimed the top position in China\u2019s smartphone market during the holiday quarter, buoyed by a sharp rebound in iPhone shipments even as a deepening shortage of memory chips weighed on the broader industry. According to data from Counterpoint Research, Apple\u2019s iPhone shipments in China rose 28% in the December quarter, allowing the company <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46963,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-46962","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-investing"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}