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Vivo and Huawei Overtook Apple in China’s Q3 2024 Smartphone Rankings—but Huawei Is Now the Bigger Rival

Vivo led and Huawei placed second in China’s Q3 2024 smartphone shipments, ahead of Apple. By Q2 2026, Huawei led, Apple was second and Vivo tied for third.
From TheFinanceBase Team5 min to read
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Yes—but only in a specific sense. In Canalys figures reported for mainland China’s third quarter of 2024, Vivo ranked first and Huawei second by smartphone shipments, while Apple fell to fifth. That was a quarterly unit-ranking result, not proof that Apple had lost the premium market or would stay behind. By IDC’s Q2 2026 ranking, Huawei was first, Apple second and Vivo tied for third with OPPO.

What “beat Apple” means in this ranking

The headline refers to smartphone shipments and vendor ranking in mainland China during Q3 2024. Shipments are devices sent into distribution channels; they are not a count of completed purchases by consumers. The figures also measure units and estimated market share, not revenue, profit or brand value. A vendor can ship more phones while Apple remains stronger in premium-market economics; the available shipment figures do not establish China-specific revenue or profit rankings.

Brand definitions matter, too. Counterpoint’s market-share tables count iQOO within Vivo and OnePlus within OPPO, while Honor is counted separately from Huawei following its separation from Huawei. Those conventions can affect comparisons between brands.

China’s Q3 2024 shipment ranking

Canalys figures reproduced in contemporary reporting put total China smartphone shipments at about 69.1 million in Q3 2024, up 4% year over year. The report placed Apple fifth after a 6% annual shipment decline. The cited report does not state Apple’s unit total or exact share.

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Vendor Shipments Share Year-over-year change Rank
Vivo About 13.0 million 19% +25% 1st
Huawei About 10.8 million 16% +24% 2nd
Honor About 10.3 million 15% -13% 3rd
Xiaomi About 10.2 million 15% Not stated in the cited report 4th
Apple Not stated in the cited report Not stated in the cited report -6% 5th

These are rounded estimates, so shares and shipments may not add up exactly to the reported market total. The figures are attributed to Canalys in contemporary coverage of the Q3 2024 rankings; the linked report is not the original Canalys release.

Why Vivo led on volume

Vivo’s Q3 position reflected broad reach across price tiers rather than a result that by itself establishes premium leadership. Contemporary coverage associated its growth with mid-range launches, demand for its Y series, and a broad online and offline distribution presence. Vivo’s range gives it more ways to compete for volume than a lineup concentrated at the high end. The available ranking does not quantify how much each factor contributed.

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Why Huawei’s recovery mattered more strategically

Huawei’s second-place finish was part of a wider return to competition, including in the premium tier where it directly challenges Apple. Counterpoint linked Huawei’s resurgence to the return of 5G-capable Kirin devices after 2023. Its Mate and Pura flagships, broader Nova range, domestic channel strategy and HarmonyOS ecosystem also formed part of the comeback picture described in market coverage.

That does not establish that Huawei has become fully independent of foreign semiconductor technology, nor that HarmonyOS has replaced iOS. Shipment rankings show the scale of Huawei’s market presence; they do not settle questions of chip supply independence or ecosystem equivalence.

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Why Apple slipped—and why one quarter is not a verdict

Apple’s fifth-place Q3 2024 ranking came amid stronger domestic competition, especially from Huawei in the premium segment, as well as the effects that product timing, pricing and promotions can have on quarterly shipments. No single cause is established by the ranking. In particular, the shipment data alone cannot show that the timing or availability of Apple Intelligence features in China caused Apple’s decline.

China’s 2025 national phone subsidy program offered support for smartphones priced below CNY 6,000—about US$820 at the time, according to Counterpoint. That threshold made many higher-priced iPhones less directly eligible, but it is a time- and program-specific detail, not a current eligibility rule. Subsidies should not be assumed to apply to later purchases without checking the program in force.

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How the rankings changed after Q3 2024

Separate analyst datasets show how quickly positions shifted. The Counterpoint figures below belong to its own series; IDC’s later Q2 2026 figures are presented separately rather than spliced into a single uninterrupted chart.

Period and source Huawei Apple Vivo What the ranking showed
Q4 2024, Counterpoint 16.7% 16.8% 18% Vivo first; Apple narrowly ahead of Huawei
Q1 2025, Counterpoint 19% 15% 14% Huawei and Xiaomi tied at 19%; Apple and Vivo behind
Q1 2026, Counterpoint 20% 19% 15% Huawei first, Apple second
Q2 2026, IDC 22.6% 18.1% 16.0% Huawei first, Apple second; Vivo tied with OPPO for third

Counterpoint’s figures are available in its China smartphone share series and Q1 2026 update. IDC’s Q2 2026 analysis reports its own estimates. Differences between firms are normal: their methodologies, data collection and release timing can produce different values.

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The broader market was contracting by 2026

The contest was unfolding in a market that had shifted from modest growth to decline. The Canalys-based Q3 2024 account put shipments at 69.1 million, up 4% year over year. IDC estimated about 69.0 million shipments in Q1 2026, down 3.3%, and about 66 million in Q2 2026, down 4.3%—a fifth consecutive quarter of annual decline. Counterpoint’s July 2026 update instead reported a 2% Q2 decline and Huawei share of about 23%, broadly consistent on Huawei’s lead but not identical on market growth or share. Those estimates should not be combined as if they came from one methodology. See IDC’s Q1 2026 market report and Counterpoint’s Q2 update.

IDC said Huawei and Apple both grew strongly in Q2 2026 and pointed to demand for the iPhone 17, price positioning and promotions as factors in Apple’s performance. IDC also reported Apple led China’s monthly market in October and November 2025 with more than 20% share in its China Monthly Sales data. These later results are another reason not to read the 2024 quarter as a permanent displacement.

What the rankings mean for buyers

Market share can identify which brands are shipping the most devices, but it cannot determine which phone is best for an individual buyer. In mainland China, compare the actual models and local terms that matter to you:

  • Apps and ecosystem: Check that essential apps and services work on the specific device and software version. Buyers relying on Google services or particular global apps should verify Huawei compatibility before purchasing.
  • Existing devices: Consider continuity with your current phone, cloud account, wearables, messaging and other connected products. Switching ecosystems can involve trade-offs that a shipment ranking does not capture.
  • Hardware priorities: Compare camera performance, battery life, charging, storage and price on the models available in your market rather than assuming one brand leads across every category.
  • Practical ownership: Confirm carrier compatibility, warranty coverage, repair access and app availability for your location. Mainland China availability and support can differ from international versions.
  • Promotions and subsidies: Check current local eligibility and final checkout terms; the reported 2025 subsidy threshold is not a reliable guide to a later program.

What the figures establish—and what they do not

Vivo and Huawei did each rank ahead of Apple in Canalys-based Q3 2024 shipment coverage, but the event was a moment in a volatile quarterly market. Vivo’s lead was chiefly a volume distinction; Huawei’s later consistency made it the more consequential domestic challenger to Apple. IDC’s Q2 2026 ranking puts Huawei first and Apple second, with Vivo tied for third, while neither those rankings nor the earlier ones determine revenue, profit or which phone an individual should buy.

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