Value for Money has Hurt iPhone Sales in Much of the World

Value for money and the innovation by Chinese brands has hurt Apple’s sales in many part of the world.

It is a known fact that Apple iPhone's offer much less value for money than their Chinese counterparts. With brands like Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi making a place for themselves in global markets, it seems iPhone sales might go down further in the coming times.

It is not just in China and Asia where these Chinese brands are making a mark. A recent article in The New York Times says these brands, among other Chinese brands, are setting a foothold in much of the world.

Now, although Apple still leads most markets for flagship devices, including in China, companies like Huawei have started to do the same in other countries.

The New York Times column says luring customers with price comparisons with iPhone’s works for them.

Companies like Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, Xiaomi have also improved their features and quality, enticing more and more people into buying their handsets. It is believed that aggressive marketing and sales campaigns in Europe will also lure more customers who have traditionally used iPhones. An example of this is Vivo sponsoring the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and Huawei sponsoring concerts in Greece.

Xiaomi has become the fourth highest seller of smartphones in Europe, while topping the list in India.  

The NYT column referred to a few case studies of people preferring Chinese phones ahead of iPhones. A French businessman, who uses an iPhone for work and a Xiaomi for personal use, said that the iPhone needs to be charged every few hours while the Xiaomi can go up to 2 days on a single charge. He also said that the preconceived notion of Chinese items not being durable enough is false, and that the vast price difference triggers such fears.

Another student from Athens said he bought a Huawei phone as he was bombarded with advertisements during his recent travels around Europe, and that it felt 'more familiar, more European.'

A Chinese engineer that NYT approached, who is a current iPhone user and is planning on switching to Huawei, told them that the technology in Apple has been stagnant, without any big breakthroughs, while these companies have constantly been experimenting with technology.

Some minor irritating flaws in iPhones also lead people to look elsewhere, The New York Times said.

In China, Apple is the fourth most selling smartphone brand. In India, it is the third highest selling premium smartphone, behind OnePlus and Samsung, while it lies much lower in overall sales.

(With inputs from The New York Times.)