New Delhi, Jan 31 (IANS): The smartphone market in Mainland China finished 2020 with 84 million units shipped in Q4 2020, declining 4 per cent year-on-year, and brands like Oppo and Vivo performed really well, according to a new report.

Oppo rose rapidly into second place, shipping 17.2 million smartphones, growing 23 per cent year-on-year. Vivo also showed strong year-on-year growth at 20 per cent, and came in third at 15.7 million units.

For Q4 2020, Huawei (including Honor) managed to ship 18.8 million units, and its market share declined to 22 per cent from 41 per cent in Q3 2020.

For the full year, the China market declined 11 per cent to arrive at just over 330 million units, as market recovery was stalled by the rapid deterioration of Huawei's performance as a result of US sanctions, reports market research firm Canalys.

"Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi are fighting to win over Huawei's offline channel partners across the country, including small rural ones, backed by huge investments in store expansion and marketing support," said Canalys VP of Mobility, Nicole Peng.

"These commitments brought immediate results, and market share improved within mere months. 2021 will be clearly a year of aggressive expansion for Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi."

Apple also reported its best performance in China in recent years, shipping more than 15.3 million units in Q4, with 18 per cent market share, up from 15 per cent in Q4 2019.

Xiaomi completed the top five, shipping 12.2 million units, growing 52 per cent year-on-year.

"As 5G becomes a common feature for new smartphones, leading vendors like Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi will double down investments in their flagship and premium portfolios focusing on product breadth and premium components," Peng said.

"As Huawei recedes, local consumers and channels are exposed to more choices, while newer or smaller brands have more chances to stand out. The market will be ready to embrace a long period of shake up in the coming year," Peng added.