In China, the iPhone 16 helped Apple regain a spot in the top 5 smartphone rankings, as the competition between Apple and Huawei intensifies.

• The iPhone 16 helped Apple regain its position among the top five smartphone providers in China during the third quarter, according to data.
• In the third quarter, Apple took the second position by market share, while its shipment growth remained flat year-on-year.
• Despite trailing Apple in third place with 15.3% market share, Huawei's smartphone shipments in China grew 42% year-on-year.

Despite the launch of the iPhone 16, Apple's growth in the top five smartphone vendors in China in the third quarter was still outpaced by domestic rival Huawei.

In the third quarter, Apple held the second spot in market share, with a 15.6% market share in China, down from 16.1% in the same quarter the previous year. Additionally, Apple's shipment growth to China remained flat year-on-year during this period.

Despite trailing Apple in third place with 15.3% market share, Huawei's smartphone shipments in China grew by 42% year-on-year, indicating a resurgence in the world's largest smartphone market.

Since the release of its Mate 60 smartphone last year, Huawei and Apple have been engaged in a fierce competition. The Chinese tech giant has faced severe restrictions due to U.S. sanctions, which have limited its access to advanced semiconductors and software. As a result, Huawei's smartphone business has been severely impacted.

Since the launch of the Mate 60, Huawei has experienced a resurgence in its domestic market, and has since introduced several new products, including the Mate XT, a foldable phone.

Apple's market share in China dropped in the second quarter, placing it outside of the top five rankings, due to the resurgence of Huawei.

According to IDC's report, Huawei has experienced four consecutive quarters of at least double-digit growth, and the launch of the world's first tri-foldable phone is predicted to accelerate the development of the foldable market.

Apple aims to revive its presence in China with the iPhone 16 series, introducing new AI software called Apple Intelligence. While Apple Intelligence is set to launch in the U.S. this fall, there is no specific release date for China due to the country's more intricate regulatory environment.

In the absence of Apple's Intelligence, Chinese competitors such as Oppo, Huawei, and Honor have been boasting about their own AI capabilities.

This week, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, visited China and met with top government officials and executives at the country's tech companies. According to one analyst, this may have been an effort to strengthen partnerships with Chinese companies in order to launch Apple Intelligence.

According to Canalys, Apple's China shipments in the third quarter decreased by 6% year-on-year, while Huawei was placed in second place by market share with 24% year-on-year growth in the same quarter.