China Internet Watch https://www.chinainternetwatch.com China Internet Stats, Trends, Insights Tue, 02 Jul 2024 12:21:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/wp-content/uploads/cropped-ciw-logo-2019-v1b-80x80.png China Internet Watch https://www.chinainternetwatch.com 32 32 China’s Top 50 Global Brands for 2024 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/30833/brandz-top-brands/ Tue, 02 Jul 2024 12:20:59 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=30833 The latest report from Kantar BrandZ, “2024 China’s Top 50 Global Brands,” highlights the dynamic growth and global reach of Chinese brands. The study, which has been conducted annually, provides valuable insights into the leading Chinese brands that have made significant impacts in international markets.

Top Performers

ByteDance, Xiaomi, and SHEIN lead the list, showcasing the strength of Chinese brands in the entertainment, electronics, and fashion sectors.

Lenovo, Huawei, and AliExpress also remain strong contenders, emphasizing the diversity and innovation in China’s tech and e-commerce industries.

Sector Growth

Smart devices, automobiles, and e-commerce experienced the fastest brand power growth, with China’s industrial ecosystem and technological innovations providing a competitive edge.

Consumer electronics, entertainment apps, and online fashion account for a substantial portion of the brand power growth.

Brand Expansion

Chinese brands have successfully penetrated international markets, with notable growth in regions like Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia.

Brands like BYD and NIO in the automotive sector, and OPPO and Vivo in consumer electronics, have expanded their global footprints, contributing to the increasing brand power.

Market Trends

The report highlights a shift in consumer preferences towards brands that offer meaningful differentiation and high engagement. Brands that have successfully created unique and compelling brand experiences have seen significant growth.

There has been a notable increase in the brand power of mid-sized brands, indicating a shift from the dominance of top-tier brands to a more competitive landscape.

Notable Brand Highlights

  • ByteDance: As a global leader in digital content and social media, ByteDance’s platforms like TikTok have become household names worldwide, driving significant brand recognition and engagement.
  • Xiaomi: Known for its high-quality yet affordable electronics, Xiaomi continues to expand its product lines and market reach, solidifying its position as a leading global brand.
  • SHEIN: The online fashion retailer has disrupted traditional retail with its fast-fashion model, capturing a significant global market share and expanding rapidly across multiple regions.
  • BYD: In the automotive sector, BYD’s focus on electric vehicles has positioned it as a key player in the global shift towards sustainable transportation solutions.
  • OPPO and Vivo: These smartphone giants have continued to innovate and expand their international presence, offering advanced technology and appealing to a broad consumer base.

Strategic Insights

The report suggests that the key to the success of Chinese global brands lies in their ability to offer meaningful differentiation and engage deeply with consumers. Brands that can innovate and adapt to changing consumer preferences will continue to thrive in the competitive global market.

  • Consumer Engagement: Successful brands have invested in understanding and meeting the functional and emotional needs of their consumers, creating strong brand loyalty and advocacy.
  • Technological Innovation: Continuous investment in technology and innovation has enabled Chinese brands to stay ahead of the curve, offering cutting-edge products that resonate with global consumers.
  • Global Strategy: A tailored approach to international markets, considering local preferences and cultural nuances, has been crucial for the expansion and acceptance of Chinese brands abroad.

Top 50 Brands from Kantar BrandZ 2024 China Global Brands

  1. ByteDance
  2. Xiaomi
  3. SHEIN
  4. Lenovo
  5. Huawei
  6. AliExpress
  7. Haier
  8. TEMU
  9. OPPO
  10. Hisense
  11. TCL
  12. Tencent
  13. vivo
  14. Chery
  15. BYD
  16. Anker
  17. DJI
  18. MiHoYo
  19. OnePlus
  20. Kuaishou
  21. realme
  22. GWM
  23. TP-LINK
  24. HONOR
  25. Lynk & Co
  26. MAXUS
  27. Insta360
  28. WORX
  29. Lilith
  30. Century Games
  31. JAC
  32. Roborock
  33. CHANGAN
  34. Geely
  35. Midea
  36. DiDi
  37. POCO
  38. ECOVACS
  39. Trip.com
  40. Magic Tavern
  41. Habby
  42. Tsingtao Beer
  43. EcoFlow
  44. Infinix
  45. IGG
  46. Kunlun
  47. eufy
  48. 37Games
  49. NetEase Games
  50. LightInTheBox

BCG: The most innovative Chinese companies

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China’s wearable device shipment up 36% in Q1 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/30865/wearable-device/ Tue, 18 Jun 2024 13:05:02 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=30865

According to the latest IDC report, China's wearable device market experienced remarkable growth in the first quarter of 2024, outpacing the global market by a significant margin.

The market's shipment volume reached 33.67 million units, representing a year-over-year increase of 36.2%. This rapid growth rate is nearly four times the global average.

The smart watch segment stood out with exceptional performance. In Q1 2024, shipments of smart watches in China reached 9.1 million units, marking a 54.1% year-over-year increase. Among these, adult smart watches accounted for 5.05 million units, growing by 62.8% from the previous year.

The adult smart watch market saw a quickened pace in supply, with inventory levels rising in some channels. Sales for adult smart watches also grew by 38.6%, maintaining a strong upward trajectory. Additionally, as market demand recovered, shipments of children’s smart watches rose to 4.04 million units, a 44.4% increase year-over-year.

The...

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China’s Smartphone Market: A Shift Towards High-End Devices and Technological Innovation https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/30902/mobile-phone-shipments/ Mon, 06 May 2024 12:25:03 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=30902

In the first quarter of 2024, China's smartphone market exhibited robust growth, highlighted by a significant 6.5% increase in shipments, reaching approximately 69.26 million units, according to IDC.

This growth trajectory reflects broader trends within the industry, including a decisive shift towards high-end devices and the rapid expansion of folding screen technology.

Market Dynamics and Leadership

The resurgence of Huawei and the continued dominance of Honor exemplify the competitive landscape of China's smartphone market. Both brands led the market, with Huawei's return marked by a remarkable 110% increase in sales from the previous year, driven by the popularity of its nova 12 series, according to IDC.

Similarly, Honor captured the top spot with a 17.1% market share, buoyed by its Magic 6 series and foldable screen products, which saw a 123.3% surge in shipments for models priced above $600.

Technological Innovations and Consumer Trends

Folding screen sma...

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Huawei’s Resilience and Innovation Fuel Steady Growth Amid Challenges https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/43725/huawei-2023/ Fri, 29 Mar 2024 09:47:40 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=43725 On March 29, 2024, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., a global leader in information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, released its annual report for the fiscal year 2023. Despite facing unprecedented challenges in recent years, Huawei has demonstrated resilience and an unwavering commitment to innovation, which is evident in its latest financial results and strategic initiatives outlined in the report.

Financial Highlights

Huawei reported a total revenue of RMB 704.2 billion (approximately USD 99.4 billion), marking a 9.6% increase from the previous year.

The company’s net profit rose dramatically to RMB 86.95 billion (approximately USD 12.28 billion), illustrating Huawei’s effective management and strategic realignment in response to external pressures and market dynamics.

The ICT infrastructure segment, a cornerstone of Huawei’s business, generated RMB 362 billion, a modest increase of 2.3% year-over-year. Meanwhile, the consumer business, including smartphones and other smart devices, brought in RMB 251.5 billion, surging by 17.3%.

The company’s burgeoning cloud computing and digital energy sectors witnessed growth rates of 21.9% and 3.5% respectively, further diversifying Huawei’s revenue streams. Notably, the smart car solutions business stood out with a remarkable growth of 128.1%, although from a smaller base, signaling Huawei’s strategic pivot towards new technology frontiers.

Strategic Investments in R&D

Huawei’s commitment to research and development (R&D) remained steadfast, with an investment of RMB 164.7 billion in 2023, accounting for 23.4% of its total revenue.

Over the past decade, the company has invested more than RMB 1.1 trillion in R&D, underscoring its long-term vision to lead in technological innovation and contribute to the global digital economy.

Expanding Global Footprint and Ecosystem

The report highlights Huawei’s efforts in expanding its global ecosystem and fostering open innovation. By the end of 2023, Huawei Cloud boasted over 6 million developers and more than 40,000 partners worldwide, creating a vibrant and innovative digital ecosystem.

Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Huawei remains optimistic about its future growth prospects. The company plans to continue its investment in core ICT technologies and platforms, enhancing its product and service offerings across different sectors.

Huawei’s chairman, Hu Houkun, emphasized the importance of quality, innovation, and open collaboration with partners to create greater value for customers and society at large.

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China’s Cloud Infrastructure Services Surge to $9.7 Billion https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/30820/cloud-infrastructure-services/ Fri, 29 Mar 2024 09:27:45 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=30820

China's cloud infrastructure services spending soared to $9.7 billion in Q4 2023, marking a 22% year-over-year increase and capturing 12% of the global cloud expenditure. Throughout 2023, China's cloud market witnessed a 16% growth, a notable rise from 2022's 10%. This momentum is expected to continue, with forecasts predicting an 18% growth in 2024.

In the final quarter of 2023, Alibaba Cloud, Huawei Cloud, and Tencent Cloud—China's leading cloud service providers—dominated the market, collectively achieving a 28% growth and securing a 74% market share.

This dominance is partly due to their emphasis on expanding partner ecosystems. Since the beginning of the year, both Huawei Cloud and Tencent Cloud have hosted partner summits, highlighting the significance of channel-driven sales, which constituted 25% of China's cloud revenue in Q4 2023, a figure anticipated to rise.

During the same period, Alibaba Cloud maintained its market leadership in China with a 39% share, desp...

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Apple Leads Amid Surging Foldable Smartphone Interest in China https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/43431/smartphone-2023/ Tue, 20 Feb 2024 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=43431 In 2023, China’s smartphone market underwent significant changes, with Apple capturing a leading 17.3% market share despite a 5.0% dip in overall shipments to 271.3 million units, the lowest in a decade, as per IDC. This contraction mirrors cautious consumer spending amidst a slow economic recovery.

However, the last quarter saw a 1.2% year-over-year increase in shipments, thanks to strong demand for premium smartphones, particularly in major cities. Apple’s strategic price cuts through third-party channels played a pivotal role in this growth, as did Honor’s reinforced channel partnerships and diversified product offerings, securing their respective top spots in the market.

A remarkable turnaround was Huawei’s re-entry into the top five, after more than two years, suggesting a revitalized competitive landscape. Despite these shifts, the final quarter of 2023 revealed nuanced dynamics: Apple and Honor slightly decreased their market shares, while Huawei saw a significant 36.2% increase, and the ‘Others’ category grew by 11.9%, indicating a diversifying market.

In contrast, Q4 2023 observed a 1.2% year-over-year uplift in shipments to 73.6 million units, halting a streak of declines over ten quarters. This rebound was spearheaded by robust demand for premium smartphones in major cities, while the market for lower-end phones lagged, despite their majority share in China’s market.

Arthur Guo, a senior research analyst at IDC China, highlighted Apple’s ascent to prominence amidst stiffened competition and subdued spending. Apple’s strategic price cuts through third-party channels spurred demand, securing its dominance.

Concurrently, Honor solidified its second position through enhanced channel partnerships and a diversified product suite, appealing to both high-end and mid-range segments.

A notable event in 4Q23 was Huawei’s resurgence in the top five after a hiatus exceeding two years, notes Will Wong, IDC Asia/Pacific’s senior research manager. This comeback intensifies competition in the world’s most significant smartphone arena.

The data reveals a mixed picture:

  • Apple’s market share declined slightly from 20.6% in Q4 2022 to 20.0% in Q4 2023, indicating a -2.1% change.
  • Honor also saw a slight dip from 17.1% to 16.8%, a -0.9% change.
  • Vivo’s market presence shrank by -8.4%, dropping to 15.7% from 17.4%.
  • Huawei defied the trend, soaring by +36.2% to reach a 13.9% market share, up from 10.3%.
  • OPPO’s share fell by -16.1% to 13.7%, down from 16.5%.
  • The ‘Others’ category grew by +11.9%, accumulating a 20.0% share, a significant collective rise.

The overall market dynamics for 2023 contrast with the final quarter, suggesting a nuanced recovery trajectory. While Apple and Honor lead the charge, with Huawei’s return signaling a potential market shakeup, companies like Vivo and OPPO may need to rethink strategies to maintain their footholds.

The Rise of Foldable Smartphones

In a notable development, IDC’s latest quarterly mobile phone tracker highlights the explosive growth of China’s foldable smartphone market, with shipments reaching approximately 2.77 million units in Q4 2023, a staggering 149.6% year-over-year increase.

This surge is propelled by new releases from Huawei, OPPO, and Honor, marking a continuous rapid growth trend for the fourth consecutive year, with a total of 7.01 million units shipped in 2023, up 114.5% from the previous year.

Improvements in hardware technology, software applications, and a drop in prices have enhanced the consumer experience and widened the foldable smartphone’s appeal. The price segment of $400-$600 is becoming increasingly populated, reflecting the segment’s potential for further growth.

Market Preferences and Performance

Consumers have shown a preference for horizontally folding devices over their vertically folding counterparts, despite the latter’s lower price points, due to the superior screen experience they offer.

Horizontally folding models, especially favored by the business sector for mobile office use, regained market share, reaching 68.1%, a 10.4 percentage point increase from the previous year.

In terms of market performance, Huawei dominated the foldable market with its Mate X5 series, capturing a 37.4% share.

OPPO followed with an 18.3% share, leading the vertically folding segment. Honor’s aggressive push in the second half of 2023 earned it third place, with a 17.7% share and the fastest growth rate of 467.0%. Samsung and Vivo rounded out the top five, facing stiff competition in the vibrant Chinese market.

Future Outlook

Arthur Guo of IDC China underscores the importance of balance between design and reliability in the foldable market.

As manufacturers vie for dominance in 2024, the foldable smartphone segment is set to continue its rapid expansion, driven by innovation and an increasing number of market players.

This evolving landscape suggests a dynamic future for China’s smartphone market, with foldable technology at the forefront of the next wave of mobile innovation.

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China’s Video Cloud Market Navigates Through Slowdown: Insights from IDC’s 2023 Mid-Year Report https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/43222/video-cloud-market/ Mon, 06 Nov 2023 12:17:48 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=43222

IDC has released its mid-year report, "China Video Cloud Market Tracker, First Half of 2023," outlining current trends and projections within the industry. In a market contending with a post-pandemic deceleration in consumer entertainment demand and reduced IT expenditure from industry clients, China's video cloud market faced a 7.0% year-on-year decline, reaching $4.62 billion.

The report details an 8.4% contraction in video cloud infrastructure and a slight 1.4% decrease in the solutions market compared to the same period in 2022.
Downstream Impact and Industry Responses
The first half of 2023 was characterized by a slowdown in end-user entertainment demand.

Over half of the leading integrated video platforms and entertainment live streaming services felt the pressure on their short-term performance, demanding higher cost-effectiveness. Although the utilization of resources such as edge cloud helped, it was insufficient to offset the adverse effects of declining bandwidth us...

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Huawei reports over 700M HarmonyOS devices https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/43109/huawei-harmonyos-devices/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 12:40:06 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=43109 Huawei’s annual Developer Conference, HDC.Together 2023, has officially commenced. During the event, Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group (BG), shared the latest developments of HarmonyOS and the Harmony ecosystem.

The brand recognition of HarmonyOS has been steadily increasing year by year. From 50% in February 2021, it has risen to 85% in June of this year.

Currently, more than 700 million Harmony ecosystem devices are in use. These devices include smartphones, wearables, car cockpits, smart screens, tablets, smart home, headphones, and more.

In addition, the number of HarmonyOS developers has exceeded 2.2 million, with API calls reaching 59 billion times per day.

Regarding multi-device collaboration, there has been a 32% growth in fitness and health recording, and mobile application downloads have increased by more than 33%.

It is reported that Huawei began planning its proprietary operating system “HarmonyOS” in 2012 and officially released HarmonyOS in August 2019. After several iterations, HarmonyOS has gradually been applied to Huawei products such as smartphones, TVs, watches, and intelligent cockpits.

Huawei’s focus on HarmonyOS is a significant aspect of its strategy to create a complete ecosystem beyond smartphones. By covering various types of devices, such as wearables, car systems, and smart home appliances, HarmonyOS aims to provide a seamless user experience across the spectrum of everyday technologies.

The increase in brand recognition and the vast number of devices operating on HarmonyOS signal a positive trend for Huawei’s ambitions. With a growing developer community and a clear increase in application downloads, Harmony’s ecosystem seems to be maturing.

These achievements are essential for Huawei, particularly as international tensions and restrictions have impacted its operations in several markets. The development and success of HarmonyOS can give the company more control over its technology and reduce its dependence on foreign operating systems.

The latest updates shared during the Huawei Developer Conference 2023 mark a new milestone in the growth of HarmonyOS.

With significant advancements in multi-device collaboration and a surge in the developer community, Harmony is positioning itself as a comprehensive and versatile operating system. The continued expansion of Harmony’s ecosystem will likely play a crucial role in shaping Huawei’s future, strengthening its presence in various technological domains.

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China cloud computing market in 2021; top 4 have 80% market share https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/42977/cloud-infrastructure-services-2021/ Sat, 24 Jun 2023 00:42:23 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=42977 China’s cloud infrastructure services market grew by 45% to US$27.4 billion in 2021 according to Canalys.

The fourth quarter of 2021 saw a year-on-year increase of 33% to US$7.7 billion. Canalys predicts that by 2026, the scale of the cloud infrastructure market in the mainland will reach US$85 billion, and the five-year compound annual growth rate will be 25%.

China cloud infrastructure services spend forecast
China cloud infrastructure services spend forecast

Visit here for AI Cloud market share.

Alibaba Cloud remains the leader with a 37% market share, ranking first in the cloud market in 2021, Huawei Cloud and Tencent Cloud second and third respectively, and Baidu AI cloud fourth. In 2021, the four cloud providers jointly accounted for 80% of the market share.

China cloud infrastructure services spend in 2021
China cloud infrastructure services spend in 2021

Huawei Cloud reached an 18% market share in 2021, with an annual growth of 67%. The rapid growth has widened the gap between Huawei cloud and Tencent Cloud, ranking second in the market.

Tencent cloud, the third-largest provider, accounted for 16% of the market share, an increase of 55%. Tencent Cloud grew steadily as a whole in 2021, with diversified growth in multiple sectors.

Baidu AI Cloud, the fourth-largest vendor, accounted for 9% of the market share, an increase of 55%.

Top 10 forecasts for China cloud computing market 2021-2024

China’s Public Cloud Services Market to Grow to 10.5% of global share by 2024

In 2020, the overall market size of global public cloud services (IAAs/PAAS/SaaS) reached US$312.42 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 24.1%, according to IDC.

The overall market size of China’s public cloud services reached US$19.38 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 49.7%, with the highest growth rate in all regions of the world. IDC predicts that the global share of China’s public cloud service market will increase from 6.5% in 2020 to more than 10.5% by 2024.

Check out market share of IaaS and PaaS markets in China here.

CIW Subscribers (Annual) can download the chart here to see the comparison of the cloud platforms in China.

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China’s Public Cloud Services Market Growth Slows in H2 2022, Still Shows Promise for Future https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/32879/public-cloud-iaas-paas/ Tue, 09 May 2023 01:00:38 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=32879

China's public cloud services market (IaaS/PaaS/SaaS) reached $18.84 billion in the second half of 2022, according to the latest report from International Data Corporation (IDC). The IaaS market saw year-on-year growth of 15.7%, while the PaaS market grew at 31.8%. Compared to the first half of 2022, the combined IaaS and PaaS market growth slowed to 19.0%, a decline of 11.6%.

The report highlights that exchange rate fluctuations have significantly affected the dollar market share data.

Global economic conditions in the second half of 2022 resulted in a higher USD-CNY exchange rate than in the same period in 2021, exacerbating downward pressure on the dollar growth rate for some Chinese cloud service providers.

The ongoing three-year pandemic has profoundly impacted the overall IT market environment, causing instability in the public cloud market. Upstream enterprise budget cuts and extended construction cycles have hindered public cloud market growth, resulting in a gradual d...

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China public cloud market share in 2021; IaaS+PaaS grew by 43% in H2 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/42798/public-cloud-iaas-paas-2021/ Sun, 07 May 2023 12:30:17 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=42798 In the second half of 2021, the overall market of China’s public cloud services (IaaS/PaaS/SaaS) reached US$15.13 billion, of which the IaaS market increased by 40.1% (47.5% in H1) and the PaaS market increased by 55.7% (53.9% in H1) year-on-year, according to data from IDC.

From the IaaS + PaaS market perspective, the first half of 2021 increased by 43% (vs. 48.6% in H1) year-on-year, down 6% from the first half of 2021, but still maintained the highest growth rate in the world.

In the next five years, China’s public cloud market will continue to grow at a compound growth rate of 30.9%. By 2026, the market is expected to reach US$105.76 billion, and the global share of China’s public cloud service market will increase from 6.7% in 2021 to 9.9%.

The competition in China’s cloud computing extends from focusing on infrastructure to the competition of comprehensive cloud platform capabilities. In addition to increasing investment in infrastructure construction at the IaaS layer, cloud vendors also continue to strengthen chip self-research capability, improve PaaS capability (data processing capability, cloud-native, low code development, etc.), build leading, fast, and perfect solution service capability and implementation and delivery ecology and develop a more comprehensive cloud platform.

The digital transformation of government and enterprises has fully entered the cloud era.

In the first half of 2021, the State Council put forward decisions on deepening the integrated development of new-generation information technology and manufacturing industry and creating new advantages of the digital economy.

Also read: the latest on China’s public cloud market

Local governments and regulators have issued relevant technical specifications and application standards of cloud computing platforms, actively promoted the all-around and in-depth integration of digital technology and social development, and accelerated the application and implementation of digital technology in various industries.

Cloud computing has become the basis and hub of digital transformation. Under this background, there is a huge demand and market space for cloud services in the field of government and enterprises.

Cloud vendors have released their own cloud-native strategies to seize the opportunity from the aspects of products, partners, standard-setting, talent cultivation, and so on.

Industry digitization and low-carbon development have become the mainstream trend. In terms of themselves, cloud vendors continue to improve product energy efficiency and promote the low-carbon development of the cloud industry by investing in innovative energy-saving technologies.

In terms of industry empowerment, cloud manufacturers invest in power electronics technology and integration and innovation with digital technology, promote the development of clean energy and the digitization of traditional energy, bring digital technology to each industry, and support all walks of life to promote low-carbon development through digitization.

In both IaaS and Iaas+PaaS markets, the competition is tight. The leading vendors Alibaba Cloud, Huawei Cloud, and Tencent Cloud have firmly taken the top three positions and jointly have 60% of the market share.

 

 

 

Cloud vendors in the network operator camp grew rapidly, with independent research and development and cloud network integration as their keywords.

The fourth ranked China Telecom Tianyi Cloud formed a full-stack cloud product system by the end of 2020, further deepened to the vertical industry and territory in 2021, sank the resource and service team to the local city, and the local cloud business grew rapidly, creating a new growth level for Tianyi Cloud.

Pricing only the 2nd most important in China for choosing cloud vendors

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China smartphone shipment down 12.6% in Q4 2022 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/42775/smartphone-shipment-2022/ Mon, 30 Jan 2023 10:31:52 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=42775 Chinese smartphone market shipped approximately 72.92 million units in the fourth quarter of 2022, down 12.6 percent year-over-year, according to data from IDC. The full-year 2022 Chinese smartphone market shipped approximately 286 million units, down 13.2 percent year-over-year, the largest decline on record.

The top 5 smartphone vendors in the Chinese market in the fourth quarter of 2022 are Apple (20.6%), Vivo (17.5%), Honor (17.1%), Oppo (15.6%), and Xiaomi (11.6%).

In 2022, the top five smartphone vendors in the year are Vivo (18.6%), Honor (18.1%), Oppo (16.8%), Apple (16.8%), and Xiaomi (13.7%).

China smartphone shipment in Q3 2022; total shipments down 12%

In the third quarter of 2022, the Chinese smartphone market shipped approximately 71.13 million units, down 11.9% year-on-year, according to data from IDC.

Although the decline narrowed for the first time this year, market demand continued to be sluggish following the first half of the year; thanks to the early release of Apple’s iPhone 14 series and the return of Huawei’s Mate 50 series, the domestic smartphone market achieved a quarter-on-quarter growth of 6.0% in the third quarter.

In the third quarter, Vivo returned to first place in China’s domestic smartphone market in terms of shipments, with a market share of 20.0%. The sub-brand iQOO has been continuously recognized by the market with its good product strength and competitive pricing, and its market share has continued to increase, reaching 4.6% of the domestic market in the third quarter.

The Vivo X series continued the excellent performance of the previous quarter and maintained its leadership in the mid-to-high-end market of US$400-600

Honor and Oppo’s shipments ranked 2nd and 3rd in Q3 2022 with 17.9% and 16.3% market share respectively..

Apple’s ranking rose one place, and its market share increased month-on-month to 15.1%, the only top smartphone vendor to maintain year-on-year growth. Although the two models of the iPhone 14 Pro are still very popular, the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Plus, which were only officially shipped in October, have limited appeal to consumers due to their small upgrades compared to the previous generation, while the iPhone 13 series is still favored.

Xiaomi smartphones shipped about 9 million units in the third quarter, accounting for 12.7% of the market.

In Q3 2022, China’s single-quarter shipments of foldable smartphones exceeded 1 million, a year-on-year increase of about 246%, the largest single-quarter shipment in history.

Strong brand and product power helped Huawei to remain in the first position in the domestic foldable screen smartphone market, with a market share of 44.9%.

Samsung’s two new products, Z Fold4 and Z Flip4, have significantly better sales than the previous generation, ranking second, accounting for 22.2% of the market share in the foldable smartphone segment.

The newly released X Fold+ series also helped Vivo to rise to third place in this market, with a market share of 11.9%. Xiaomi’s new MIX FOLD 2 has also won a better market reputation than the previous generation due to its thin and light appearance, and its market share has increased to 9.3%, ranking fourth.

China IoT market to account for 45% of global spend by 2025

China smartphone market share in Q2 2022

In the second quarter of 2022, China’s smartphone shipment reached about 67.2 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 14.7%, according to data from IDC. In the first half of the year, the domestic smartphone shipment totaled about 140 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 14.4%.

Honor ranked first in domestic market shipments in the second quarter, and Vivo ranked second. In the first half of the year, the domestic shipments of foldable smartphones exceeded 1.1 million, with a year-on-year increase of about 70%.

China smartphone market share in Q1 2022; Apple has 16.7% share

In the first quarter of 2022, China’s smartphone market saw about 74.2 million units shipment, a year-on-year decrease of 14.1%, according to data from IDC.

The impact of the continuous rebound of the epidemic on consumers’ budgets and the small upgrading range of new products have led to the continuous downturn of market demand.

The more uncertain overseas market prospect has led many mobile phone manufacturers to adopt more stable and conservative operation strategies, and the market will face great challenges throughout the year.

Oppo ranked first in terms of domestic smartphone shipment market share in the first quarter, followed by Honor, with a very high year-on-year increase, Vivo in the third place, Apple in the fourth place, and Xiaomi in fifth place.

At the same time, the negative impact of the current domestic epidemic on the logistics and supply side of the mobile phone market is relatively controllable, which brings about the delay in meeting part of the demand.

If there is no additional positive stimulus, the capacity of China’s smartphone market may fall below the 300 million mark in 2022, according to IDC.

Vivo has the largest market share of 19.7% by total smartphone sales, according to Counterpoint, followed by Oppo (18%), apple (17.9%), Honor (16.9%), Xiaomi (14.9%), and Huawei (6.2%). In the first quarter, domestic mobile phone sales fell 14% year-on-year to 74.2 million.

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Top mobile app download sources in China https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/34643/mobile-apps-download-sources/ Mon, 29 Aug 2022 23:30:05 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=34643

Mobile app download channels integrated with users' lifestyle use case scenarios have gradually become the focus of mobile app vendors, shortening the download process and improving the user experience.

The top download sources of mobile apps in June 2022 in China are Huawei App Store (909 million downloads), App Store (729M), and Oppo App Store (528M), according to data from QuestMobile.

Top 10 Download Sources of Mobile Apps in China

Among the top 10 sources, only App Store (6.3%), Baidu, and TapTap saw positive growth compared with June 2021.

Statistics: China Apps List (Top mobile apps by MAU)...

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China’s edge computing server market forecast 2022-2025 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/33619/edge-computing-market-share/ Tue, 24 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=33619

China's edge computing server market reached US$3.31 billion in 2021, an increase of 23.9% over 2020. IDC predicts that from 2020 to 2025, the annual compound growth rate of the edge computing servers market in China will reach 22.2%, higher than 20.2% in the world.

According to the deployment location, IDC classifies edge computing into several categories: colocation DC, edge cloud DC, Telco network / MEC, industry-specific, and Robo.

The intrinsic attribute of distributed deployment determines the diversified characteristics of participants in the edge computing market to a certain extent, including operators, ICT, and other enterprises who are carrying out edge computing around their respective business paths to jointly promote the maturity of edge computing solutions and business models.

In 2021, China's vertical industry and telecom network edge computing server (including general server and customized server) market maintained a strong development momentum, and t...

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China tablet shipment up 8% in Q1 2022 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/31045/tablet-shipments/ Mon, 16 May 2022 00:21:56 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=31045

In the first quarter of 2022, the shipment of China's tablet market was about 6.76 million units, a year-on-year increase of 8.1%, according to the latest IDC data.

With the adaptation to the new market situation, the global tablet computer shipment in the first quarter of 2022 decreased by 2.1% year-on-year to 39.13 million units.

When the global tablet computer market fell year-on-year for three consecutive quarters, China's mobile phone market fell 14.1% year-on-year in the first quarter, and the PC market grew only 0.1% year-on-year, only China's tablet computer market maintained growth against the trend.

About 6.21 million units were shipped in the consumer market, a year-on-year increase of 17%.

Although a large number of consumers have purchased tablet computers in the past two years and are still in use, the home ownership rate of tablet computers in China is only 19% in 2021, which is still low compared with developed countries and regions such as Europe an...

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China smart device market overview 2022 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/33504/smart-device-market/ Wed, 04 May 2022 00:00:18 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=33504

Smart Home is the largest smart device segment in China with over 185 million monthly active users, followed by Wearable, Smart Automobile, Smart Accessories, and Smart Health.

Huawei Sports is the top smart device app with over 69.07 million MAU, followed by Xiaomi's Mijia app (86 million MAU).

Huawei has the largest smart device share of about 28%, followed by Apple, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi.

The number of connected IoT devices has reached 9.38 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach about 20 billion by 2025.

China IoT market to account for 45% of global spend by 2025

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Report: 5 segments of smartphone buyers: US vs UK vs China https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/32474/smartphone-replacement-behaviors/ Tue, 21 Sep 2021 01:19:54 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=32474

Strategy analytics conducted a new smartphone consumer survey in China, the UK, and the United States to identify the key factors driving consumers' replacement behavior. The report explores the drivers and barriers that affect when and how consumers change smartphones.

The annual global shipment of smartphones exceeds 1.3 billion, which is the biggest business opportunity in the consumer electronics market. In mature markets, 95% of sales come from smartphone replacement, compared with 87% in developing markets.

The study identified five different patterns of motivation/drivers and barriers for consumers to change smartphones. These five segments have different proportions in each country.

Although the segmentation is defined by attitude and behavior variables, there are significant differences in smartphone replacement behavior, the price paid (ASP), manufacturer's relative strength, and a series of other variables.

The report discusses the challenges faced by smartphone ...

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Top AI companies and platforms in China https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/32052/ai-company-market-share/ Mon, 28 Jun 2021 11:58:21 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=32052

China's AI public cloud service market reached 2.41 billion yuan (US$370 million), accounting for 10.4% of the overall AI software market. IDC estimates that by 2025, the proportion of public cloud services in China's AI software market will reach 36.1%.

China's AI software market reached 23.09 billion yuan in 2020, about 60% of the US AI software market. Find out China's leading companies and platform in AI Cloud, computer vision, voice, and machine learning platforms.

Various AI vendors have launched self-learning platforms in various technical fields as different forms of AutoML products. Baidu Smart Cloud is still in the first place of AI public cloud service market share. Its AI application is in full bloom across multiple industries.

Alibaba Cloud continues to enrich AI capabilities, and it also continues to embed AI capabilities into solutions. In terms of channel and partner ecology, it has been in the lead.

Tencent Cloud and Huawei Cloud followed closely.
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Top 500 Chinese brands in 2021; WeChat is China’s and the world’s strongest brand https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/31644/brand-finance-global-500/ Thu, 13 May 2021 11:30:59 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=31644 Chinese brands show resilience as the total value of the top 500 brands in China remains stable at US$1.94 trillion in 2021, according to the latest Brand Finance China 500 ranking.

The Greater Bay Area is home to more top brands than any other region in China with 134 brands represented in the ranking.

The banking sector dominates with 85 brands accounting for 22% of total brand value in ranking, with ICBC once again crowned China’s most valuable brand.

Leading fight against health emergency, pharma sector sees greatest brand value increase, up staggering 123%. Leading the way as the sector’s most valuable brand is Sinopharm, which has recorded a 58% brand value increase to US$3.2 billion.

Retail is the second most valuable sector – with 17 brands featuring and accounting for 10% of the total brand value – and also the second-fastest-growing sector, recording a cumulative brand value growth of 54%.

The top four Chinese e-commerce brands – Taobao, Tmall, Alibaba.com, and JD.com – have all seen significant brand value growth. Taobao (brand value US$53.3 billion) and Tmall (brand value US$49.2 billion) have entered the top 10 for the first time following 44% and 60% brand value increases, respectively.

Alibaba.com’s brand value has been boosted by 108% to US$39.2 billion, simultaneously propelling the brand from 22nd to 13th – a result of a huge spike in demand. JD.com enjoyed an 82% brand value increase to US$23.5 billion, following a 30% rise in its annual shopper count.

Pinduoduo is the fastest growing brand in China, up 148% to US$6.3 billion and jumping 60 places in the ranking to 63rd. Read about Pinduoduo’s road to brand upgrade.

Perseverance of brands in investment and infrastructure development pays off – solid performances across real estate and engineering & construction sectors.

Media sector surges 33%.

  • WeChat is China’s and the world’s strongest brand with a top score of 95.4 out of 100 and AAA+ brand strength rating.
  • TikTok/Douyin (brand value US$18.7 billion), has taken the 24th spot as the highest new entrant.
  • Bilibili up 106% to US$1.9 billion

Top 500 Chinese Brands in 2021

wdt_ID Rank 2021 Rank 2020 Brand
1 1 1 ICBC
2 2 7 WeChat
3 3 4 China Construction Bank
4 4 10 Tencent
5 5 3 Huawei
6 6 5 State Grid
7 7 2 Ping An
8 8 13 Taobao
9 9 6 Agricultural Bank Of China
10 10 15 Tmall

Members can download the list here (Excel; annual and CIW Premium subscribers).

Top Global Brands 2021

US and Chinese brands account for two-thirds of the total brand value of the world’s 500 most valuable brands, according to the latest report by Brand Finance – a brand valuation consultancy.

US brands boast a cumulative brand value of a staggering US$3.3 trillion, equating to 46% of the total brand value in the ranking. Chinese brands’ total brand value is US$1.4 trillion, equating to 20%.

Apple has overtaken Amazon and Google to reclaim the title of the world’s most valuable brand for the first time since 2016 with an impressive 87% brand value increase to US$263.4 billion and.

  • Tesla leaves traditional auto marques behind with the fastest brand value growth in ranking, up 158%
    CBS is the fasting-falling brand in ranking, down 49%
  • Airline and aerospace sectors account for 6 out of 10 fastest-falling brands in the ranking
  • Hospitality suffers from travel and dining restrictions, as Marriott and Airbnb check out from ranking and Starbucks, McDonald’s, and KFC see brand values drop
  • Mastercard’s Ajay Banga best among top 100 CEOs in Brand Finance Brand Guardianship Index 2021

Top 100 best Chinese brands, led by Alibaba and Tencent

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Report: China Mobile Economy 2020 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/31347/mobile-economy/ Tue, 27 Oct 2020 01:40:41 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=31347 Chinese operators are leading on growth beyond core services, with non- telecoms services – both for consumers and enterprises – growing at 30% year-on-year in local currency (compared to less than 10% for most other major operators), according to a recent report by GSMA.

Globally, the key benefits of 5G other than speed gains (e.g. network slicing, edge computing, and low-latency services) are not widely appreciated, with many companies believing 4G is ‘good enough’.

But China is a clear exception. Early partnerships and trials from local operators have paid dividends, as evidenced by the widespread intent among companies in the country’s industrial sector to utilize 5G.

Chinese operators are also leading the charge for standalone (SA) 5G, which will help deliver the key benefits of 5G for enterprises.

Awareness and knowledge of 5G are rising as hype makes way for reality.

Chinese consumers are among the most excited by the prospect of 5G. They are generally more optimistic than other markets about the benefits of 5G, with greater expectations of lower service costs, innovative services and new connected devices.

In addition, consumers in China are likely earlier adopters of 5G (versus the US, Japan, and Europe) and seem the most willing to pay more for 5G services – a key driver of potential 5G consumer revenue uplift.

4G is by far the dominant mobile technology across China, accounting for more than 80% of total connections (excluding licensed cellular IoT). However, 4G’s share will peak in 2020 (at 82%) as 5G grows significantly.

Several 5G smartphones have been launched, many by local OEMs, and Chinese consumers are among the most keen to upgrade to 5G.

As a result, China will account for 70% of global 5G connections in 2020, and 5G adoption will grow to just under 50% by 2025, placing the country among the leading nations along with South Korea, Japan and the US.

To support this generational shift and drive consumer engagement, Chinese operators are expected to invest more than $180 billion between 2020 and 2025 in mobile capex, roughly 90% of which will be on 5G networks.

Despite some financial headwinds – including market saturation, increasing competition and the country’s ‘speed upgrade and tariff reduction’ policy – China’s mobile revenue remains stable.

Financials will recover in 2020 and 2021, and revenue will rise steadily at around 1% per year to 2025, largely because of growing revenues in enterprise IoT and new 5G services.

By the end of 2019, 1.2 billion people subscribed to mobile services across China.

This accounts for 82% of the region’s population and places China among the world’s most developed markets. As with all advanced markets, adding new subscribers is increasingly difficult, with the cost of reaching rural populations hard to justify against a challenging financial backdrop for operators.

Despite this, there will be around 60 million new subscribers by 2025.

Since 2012, the number of people subscribing to the mobile internet across China has doubled to more than 900 million. By 2025, nearly 260 million people will start using the mobile internet for the very first time, almost halving the unconnected proportion of the population to 22%.

Mobile continues to make a significant contribution to the Chinese economy.

In 2019, mobile technologies and services generated $759 billion of economic value added (5.4% of GDP) across China. This figure will surpass $900 billion by 2024 as the region increasingly benefits from the improvements in productivity and efficiency brought about by the increased take-up of mobile services.

Download the full report here (CIW annual subscribers) including key trends shaping the mobile industry, mobile contributing to economic growth and addressing social challenges, and policies to accelerate digital development. Subscribe here.

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