iPhone sales in China shrink as US political tensions grow
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Apple’s new iPhone 15 lineup is not as well received in China as last year’s models, according to analysts.

China’s iPhone 15 sales dropped 4.5% in the first two weeks after its launch, according to Counterpoint Research. Financial firm Jefferies reported on Monday that iPhone 15 sales fell by a double-digit percentage following strong customer demand for Huawei’s new Mate 60 smartphones.

Following the reports, Apple (AAPL) shares fell 0.08%.

Reports come amid a sluggish Chinese economy, a struggling housing market, and increased competition among higher-end Chinese vendors, particularly Huawei.

Chinese consumers who think they’ve been wronged by the US government and sanctions are gravitating toward the Mate 60 and that is edging into Apple volumes, according to Jeff Fieldhack, research director at Counterpoint.

As Apple’s second largest market after the US, China remains very important to the company. Although Fieldhack predicts Huawei will not overtake Apple in terms of smartphone sales right now, he expects continued interest in the Mate 60 to “eek” into Apple’s sales.

According to him, Apple gained a lot of ground during its launch period last year, when it became number one in China. The economy looked strong, but now that there is political tension and competition, we have reason to be concerned.”

According to Counterpoint, the Phone 15 lineup is up about 10% year-over-year in the US. Considering sales fell for the third consecutive quarter in August ahead of the iPhone 15 launch, that’s impressive growth for Apple.

There is a slimmer design and a more advanced main camera system on the new iPhone 15, as well as a customizable Action button, which allows you to do anything from start a voice memo to write a note. This is probably the biggest change coming to the models, as they will now use USB-C charging cables instead of Apple’s proprietary Lightning cables.