Apple faces tough test with iPhone 15 launch in China amid government use ban and as Huawei fights back with Mate 60 Pro
- While China is still home to thousands of loyal Apple consumers, there are growing signs that the road ahead could be tough
- Apple is facing new competition from Huawei and a govenment use ban on iPhones as it prepares to launch latest model in China
Apple is facing one of its toughest sales seasons yet in China, with next week’s planned launch of the new iPhone 15 range coming just as the company’s products have been banned for use by government agencies and state-owned enterprises in the country, according to industry analysts.
While China is still home to thousands of loyal Apple consumers, there are growing signs that the road ahead will be tough for the Cupertino, California-based company, amid continuing geopolitical tensions and as Huawei Technologies tries to make a comeback with its new Mate 60 Pro handset.
“The new Mate phones will bring a serious challenge to Apple, which currently reins in the high-end segment of the Chinese handset market,” said Toby Zhu, an analyst with market research firm Canalys. He noted that a key factor in the battle ahead would be the stability of Huawei’s supply chain.
The Shenzhen-based telecoms equipment giant jolted the Chinese smartphone market this month with presales of a new Mate 60 series, which sports a powerful processor despite Huawei being subject to tough US trade sanctions. The surprise launch came two weeks before Apple is scheduled to launch its latest iPhone 15 models.
This development came despite a fall of 9.3 per cent in iPhone sales year-on-year over the same period globally, marking the highest second-quarter sales slump for Apple in the last 8 years. Hence the growing interest of industry analysts in how Apple will fare with the iPhone 15 in China.
Apple’s current high-end models, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, were the top two most popular devices in China last October, according to market consultancy Counterpoint.