The smartphones people in China are buying instead of the iPhone

Now it's official: Things were pretty lousy for Apple in China during the 2018 holiday quarter. The company’s latest earnings report shows that revenue fell nearly by US$5 billion from a year ago, as sales of iPhones and other major products all dipped.

To be fair though, it’s been a bad time for almost everyone selling in China. People just aren’t buying as many smartphones as before. Last year’s third quarter saw a year-on-year decline in overall shipments, according to market research firm IDC.

But if you look at the top five, Apple experienced the steepest drop. And contrary to the American market, Apple isn’t the dominant brand in China. Instead, it trails four domestic companies -- most of which don’t sell in the US. Here’s a look at who they are.

Vivo belongs to the same parent company that owns a brand that might be more familiar to Americans: OnePlus. Over the last year, Vivo has been experimenting with some daring designs. You may have heard of the phone with a pop-up selfie camera. Or the one that’s got screens on both the front and back. Lately, it also showed off a handset with no ports or buttons.

Ironically though, one of Vivo’s best-selling models this year was the X21 -- an iPhone X lookalike complete with a notch, a glass back, and a rear dual-camera.

Oppo is another sister company of Vivo, which explains why their phones share certain similarities. The Oppo Find X also has a motorized pop-up camera module, just like the the Vivo NEX. The Oppo R15 also has a notch at the top of the display, just like the Vivo X21.