Last year Apple came up with large display high-end smartphones, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6Plus, in market, breaking its tradition of producing small-screen smartphones, with hopes to further flick with bigger screen. That formula worked for Apple very much in the whole world as well as especially in China, as Chinese masses like bigger displays.
One main reason why big-chunk smartphone is handy is its role of both smartphone as well as tablet.
The Chinese people gave a warm welcome to Apple. Within months Samsung-dominated country belongs to Apple. This is such a huge success for Apple. Now Apple is the dominant player in the Chinese smartphone market leaving behind home vendor Xiaomi. Smasung’s 50 percent share in China’s market melted in a period of only one year inhaling a severe competition from Apple, Xiaomi and Huawei.
China’s smartphone market is considered as one of the most important market in world because of its size and the fact that it was much less developed that the likes of the US, UK and Japan, but that is all about to change.
According to IDC, 98.8 million smartphones were dispatched to China in the first quarter, although down 4 percent from the same period of 2014, by contrast, but still Chinese market is luxurious for smartphones.
Kitty Fok, analyst at IDC China, said the Chinese smartphone market is now no more a pre-mature market.
Chinese people lunges on Apple iPhones, iPhone 6&6Plus, in the first quarter driving the company’s sales to 61.2 million with the iPhone 6&6Plus aiding the company to be the biggest manufacturer. Smasung shipped more than 20 million smartphones in the first qaurter in China but succeeded to sell only 9.6 million smartphones. Samsung now holds only 9.7 percent share in Chinese market which puts the firm on the fourth spot in China on rankings list.
Before the launch of Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Samsung is expecting to restore its rhythm in Chinese market but all in vain. As in addition to established smartphone vendors like Apple, Huawei and Lenovo the startups like OnePlus, Meizu and Oppo proved hard rock for Samsung.
Even established companies like Huawei and ZTE are looking to grab a slice of the market currently dominated by Xiaomi by creating younger sub-brands – Honor and nubia respectively – “to chip away at Xiaomi’s user base, and to attempt to gain a loyal fanbase”.
Lenovo is also serious to further proliferate as is indicated by its acquisition of Motorola mobile unit.
The reason for Xiaomi’s decline according to IDC is “strong competition from other vendors in the low to mid-range segment of the market” – an area where Xiaomi had seen huge growth in the last couple of years.
“To successfully combat local players overseas, Chinese vendors will need to focus on channel relationships and localised marketing strategies,” said Tay Xiaohan, an analyst with IDC. “Most of the market’s growth will come from sub-US$150 phones as feature phone users switch to low-cost smartphones.”
