14 DAY TRIAL // Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus was the second best-selling smartphone of 2017 in China, according to new data offered by Counterpoint Research, while neither the Samsung Galaxy S8 nor the Note 8 made the top 10.
The data shows that OPPO topped the charts thanks to the R9s model, which secured the leading spot with 3 percent of the market, followed by Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus that got very close with 2.8 percent.
The Vivo X9 was third with 2.7 percent, while another OPPO model, this time the A57, ended the year fifth with 2.6 percent. Apple’s iPhone 7 was next with 2.4 percent.
Probably the most surprising thing is that there’s no Samsung model in the top 10, mostly as a result of the company filling the market with an extensive selection of models. This means that instead of flooding the market with a plethora of models, the other companies decided to focus on a limited lineup that attracted a substantial share of buyers.
Samsung nowhere to be seen
Another big win for Apple is that it’s the only foreign brand in the top 10, mostly thanks to the iPhone 7 selling well in the first half of 2017 and much better in the second thanks to price cuts following the debut of the iPhone 8 and iPhone X.
“After the price of iPhone 7 series decreased, competitiveness of the product was getting evident, especially iPhone 7 Plus with 128G ROM, price of which was lowered under $900 representing over 16% discount,” Counterpoint analyst James Yan says.
The iPhone 7 Plus sold better than the iPhone 7, and the analyst firm says this is living proof that the price is not the only factor influencing sales of a specific model. In this case, customers were also looking for better specs, as the iPhone 7 Plus comes with a bigger screen than the standard model, as well as with a dual-camera system.
As for OPPO, Counterpoint explains that the company’s focus on the middle-tier market, with models priced between $200 and $450, but also the increased focus on features like social media and selfie cameras, helped it have no less than three models in the top 10.
