Apple lost its status as the best selling smartphone brand in the crucial Chinese market last year, new data showed Thursday, with a pair of local rivals surpassing it with surging shipments. The California-based tech giant claimed a market share of 15 percent in the world's number two economy,

Apple is no longer the top smartphone seller in China, overtaken by Vivo and Huawei, with a 17% market share decline in 2024. Apple now holds 15%, marking its worst annual performance in the country.

It was Apple’s largest annual smartphone sales decline in China since 2016 and involved contraction in all four quarters, including a 25% drop in the final quarter, according to the data.

Apple has been dethroned as the leading smartphone seller in China, with Vivo and Huawei taking the lead. The Cupertino-based company's annual shipments in China fell by 17% in 2024, according to data from research firm Canalys.

Apple smartphone shipments in China fell 25% in the fourth quarter, while Huawei's rose 24%, data from research firm Canalys showed on Thursday. Apple shipped 13.1 million units versus Huawei's 12.9 million,

Apple lost its No. 1 spot in China as domestic rivals took advantage of the iPhone maker’s lack of artificial intelligence features available on phones purchased in the country, according to data from research firm Canalys.