China is one of the top countries phone vendors want to penetrate. After all, it’s the world’s biggest smartphone market; conquering it is already half a big part of the battle.
So which brands were the winners in China in 2017? The answer didn’t surprise us.
According to market-research firm Counterpoint, Chinese handsets dominated the “10 best-selling smartphones” list last year. In fact, only two foreign-branded devices — both from one company — were able to slip into the ranking.
Top 10 best-selling smartphones of 2017 in China, according to Counterpoint Research
At the top sat the OPPO R9s, a device we were able to get our hands on a year ago. Priced at ¥2,799 (around P21,985 or $435) when it was launched in 2016, the R9s features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal memory, 16-megapixel front and rear cameras, a 5.5-inch full-HD display, and a 3,010mAh battery.
Two other OPPO phones — the A57 and the R11 — made it to the fourth and sixth spots, respectively.
SEE ALSO: OPPO F5 review: An all-improved selfie expert
OPPO’s decision to focus on a few models in the most popular price band in China, the midrange market, helped the manufacturer strengthen its position in its home country. Of course, that came with putting more money to promote the key products, which happened to be selfie-focused handsets.
Vivo and Huawei, through its sub-brand Honor, each took two spots. Xiaomi, on the other hand, placed ninth with the Redmi Note 4X, a smartphone that became popular among Chinese teenagers.
READ ALSO: Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus review: A worthy Redmi Note 4X upgrade?
The only non-Chinese-branded devices on last year’s bestsellers’ list were the Apple iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7.
Check the names. They’re all the same vendors that are part of the top smartphone makers in the world. Samsung was the only big company whose devices didn’t do well in China. Not surprising, considering its poor performance in the country since the start of 2017.
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