China sees 50% plunge in foreign-branded phone shipments in March

To say that Apple has been struggling in the Chinese market is an understatement. Including the most recent fiscal quarter, in which the company reported a 2% year-over-year revenue drop in the country, Apple has seen its numbers stay in the green for only three of the last twelve fiscal quarters. That includes an 11% drop in Q1 2025 and a whopping 13% drop in Q1 2024. When it comes to the smartphone market, however, Apple isn’t the only non-Chinese company that’s been having it rough. Government subsidy programs might be the reason According to a recent report (via Reuters) released by the government-affiliated China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, non-Chinese mobile brands saw a 49.6% drop in shipments compared to March 2024. In absolute numbers, shipments fell from 3.7 million to 1.8 million units. The CAICT had released a similar report last March, covering January shipments. It noted a 21% drop in foreign-branded smartphone shipments, to 4.3 million units ... Read full article.