Beijing, Jul 29 (IANS): China's smartphone market saw a steep decline of 10 per cent in the second quarter owing to weaker-than-expected demand and a lack of flagship products that could trigger consumer interest, an IDC report said on Thursday.

Nearly 79 million smartphones were shipped in China in the second quarter, down 10 per cent year-on-year (YoY).

Nevertheless, the first half of the year still saw a 7.1 per cent YoY growth with 165 million shipments, mainly due to the low comparison base last year when the pandemic struck, according to IDC 'Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.'

"Honor entered the Top 5 for the first time in China after it was divested from Huawei. Honor managed to shake off some impact of the US sanctions at least in its home market and gave it a good start," said Will Wong, Research Manager for Client Devices at IDC Asia/Pacific.

Vivo gained the top spot in Q2. Both its existing and newly launched Y-series continued to support its position in the mainstream price segment.

At third place, OPPO's budget-friendly models like the A32, A55, and A93 were the volume drivers in the quarter.

Xiaomi at fourth place strengthened its market share in the $250-350 segment with its K40 series and focus on the "6.18" online festival.

Apple managed to achieve a higher market share in its off-season, mainly supported by its active promotions in the online shopping festival and at the expense of Huawei's decline, the report mentioned.