Canalys projects that Apple’s smartphone shipments grew to 11 million units over the past quarter, up from 8 million units a year ago.
When Apple reports quarterly earnings later this week, there may be a surprising bright spot: China.
According to estimates from Canalys, Apple’s smartphone shipments to China increased to 11 million units from 8 million a year earlier, due to lower prices on older iPhones. The jump follows six straight quarters of declines.
China has become one of the most competitive markets in the world for smartphones. In August, Apple reported that sales in greater China dropped 10 percent from the prior year.
While Chinese brands like Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi have struggled to gain traction in the U. S., they all outpace Apple in terms of units sold in China, according to Canalys estimates. Chinese consumers also use apps like WeChat to perform some of the functions of Apple’s operating system.
Apple, which reports fiscal fourth-quarter financials on Thursday, typically breaks out revenue by region, but for the number of devices sold, it provides only a global figure.
