China woes intensify as local smartphone market sees massive 21% decline in Q1, Xiaomi overtakes Apple, more

The Chinese smartphone market is going through something of a hard time right now. According to data by Canalys, the market saw a huge decline in Q1 2018, with total shipments dropping by 21% from the same period last year.

China's smartphone market is the largest in the world, ahead of India and the US, in that order. That position may be relinquished soon, though, if this trend continues, as it would seem that the Chinese populace just isn't keen on buying smartphones as much as they used to. Total shipments in the region came out to 91 million, the lowest Q1 figure since 2013.

Individual OEMs don't have it easy in the market, either. Local top-dogs Huawei saw a meager 2% YoY growth to ship 21 million units, while OPPO and Vivo both recorded declines in the region of 10%, shipping 15 and 18 million units respectively. As has become the trend of recent, Xiaomi manages to go against the grain. The company saw a massive 37% growth, shipping 12 million units and dumping Apple in fifth place.

The top four brands—Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi—account for 73% of the market. Other OEMs like Meizu, Gionee, and Samsung continue to find life hard, however, with their market shares all dropping by over 50% Year-on-Year.

Analysts project a rise in Q2 shipment numbers, with OPPO and Vivo expected to release attention-grabbing devices soon.