In the contested terrain of global technology, Huawei's Mate 60 has emerged as more than a smartphone — it is a symbol of national resilience, outselling Apple's iPhone 15 across China and vanishing from shelves faster than dealers can restock them. The moment marks Huawei's return from years of geopolitical exile, powered by a homegrown chip that carries both engineering ambition and cultural meaning. What unfolds in China's consumer market rarely stays there: analysts warn that Apple's 2024 shipment targets, Qualcomm's order books, and TSMC's revenues all stand in the shadow of this shift. W
Huawei Mate 60 Outsells iPhone 15 in China Amid Supply Shortages
All four versions are out of stock almost as soon as they arrive
Mark
So Huawei is outselling Apple in China right now—but is that actually surprising given what's happened to Huawei over the past few years?
Mimi
It's striking because Huawei had been cut off from so much of the global supply chain. The fact that they've come back with a phone that's flying off shelves suggests they've solved some real technical problems, especially around the Kirin chip.
Luke
But we should be careful here. We don't have actual sales numbers. We have dealer reports of stock shortages. Those are two different things—shortage could mean demand is high, or it could mean supply is constrained. We don't know which.
Mark
Fair point. So what's actually driving the demand? Is it the phone itself, or is it something else?
Mimi
The reporting suggests it's both. The hardware is competitive, but there's also a patriotic element—Chinese consumers choosing a Chinese company over Apple. That's real and measurable in behavior.
Luke
Measured how, though? We're told customers are queuing outside stores, but we don't have numbers on those queues. We know dealers say stock is gone, but we don't know if that's because 100,000 people want one or 10 million do.
Mark
What about the supply chain impact? Is that more solid?
Mimi
TrendForce is projecting that Qualcomm could lose 60 million chip orders and TSMC could see a 10 percent revenue hit. Those are analyst estimates, not confirmed outcomes.
Luke
Right—those are forward-looking predictions based on assumptions about Huawei's trajectory. They could be right, but they're not facts yet. And the 20 million Mate 60 units Huawei is expected to ship—that's also a projection, not a confirmed number.
Mark
So the real story is that something has shifted, but we're still in the fog about how big it actually is.
Mimi
Exactly. Huawei has clearly regained footing in its home market in a way that matters to Apple. Whether it lasts depends on whether they can keep innovating and whether geopolitical winds shift again.
Le Pouls
- Huawei's Mate 60 is selling out instantly across China, with queues forming outside stores and dealers unable to keep any of the four variants in stock.
- Apple, which depends on China as one of its largest revenue markets, now faces a direct and unexpected challenge to its flagship iPhone 15 at a critical sales window.
- Beyond hardware, a wave of patriotic consumer sentiment is amplifying Huawei's advantage — buyers are choosing a domestic champion over foreign competition regardless of raw specifications.
- The shockwaves reach deep into the global supply chain: Qualcomm risks losing 60 million chip orders and TSMC could see a 10% revenue decline in 2024 if Huawei's momentum holds.
- Huawei projects 20 million Mate 60 shipments within China, but the company has yet to confirm a successor flagship, leaving its long-term competitive position uncertain.
In the contested terrain of global technology, Huawei's Mate 60 has emerged as more than a smartphone — it is a symbol of national resilience, outselling Apple's iPhone 15 across China and vanishing from shelves faster than dealers can restock them. The moment marks Huawei's return from years of geopolitical exile, powered by a homegrown chip that carries both engineering ambition and cultural meaning. What unfolds in China's consumer market rarely stays there: analysts warn that Apple's 2024 shipment targets, Qualcomm's order books, and TSMC's revenues all stand in the shadow of this shift. Whether this represents a durable realignment or a singular surge of patriotic momentum remains the question that will define the year ahead.
Huawei's Mate 60 has landed in China with an impact few anticipated. All four variants of the flagship lineup — including the premium Ultimate Design model — are outselling the iPhone 15 nationwide, with dealers reporting immediate sell-outs and customers lining up outside physical stores. The scarcity is not a marketing stunt; it reflects genuine, sustained demand.
At the heart of the Mate 60 is the Kirin 9000S, a processor Huawei designed and manufactured domestically after years of being cut off from foreign chip suppliers by geopolitical pressure. The chip is more than a technical achievement — it is a statement. And Chinese consumers appear to be receiving it as one, with buying behavior driven as much by national pride as by hardware preference.
The consequences extend well beyond a single market rivalry. China is one of Apple's most important revenue sources, and analysts at TrendForce have identified Huawei's resurgence as a credible threat to Apple's 2024 shipment forecasts. The disruption travels further still: Qualcomm could lose up to 60 million chip orders as Huawei leans into domestic silicon, and TSMC may absorb a revenue decline of as much as 10 percent in the coming year.
Huawei has set an internal target of roughly 20 million Mate 60 units shipped within China — a figure that signals confidence in the moment. But the road ahead carries real uncertainty. The company has not confirmed plans for a successor flagship with more advanced chips, and without sustained innovation, Apple may find its footing again as 2024 progresses. For now, however, Huawei has reclaimed something it lost years ago: the attention, and the loyalty, of the Chinese consumer.
Huawei's Mate 60 has arrived in China with a force that has caught Apple off guard. All four versions of the flagship—including the premium Ultimate Design model—are reportedly outselling the iPhone 15 across the country, and dealers say they cannot keep them in stock. The phones vanish from shelves almost as soon as they arrive, a scarcity that has drawn customers into long queues outside Huawei's physical stores.
The Mate 60 family represents Huawei's return to serious competition in the smartphone market after years of geopolitical pressure and supply chain constraints. Each of the four models runs on Huawei's Kirin 9000S processor, a homegrown chip that signals the company's ability to design and manufacture its own silicon. While exact sales figures remain undisclosed, phone dealers across China have confirmed that every variant is consistently out of stock, a pattern that stands in sharp contrast to the iPhone 15's availability.
What makes this moment significant is not merely that one phone is outselling another in a single market. China represents one of Apple's largest revenue sources by volume, and the shift in consumer preference there carries weight far beyond the country's borders. Analysts at TrendForce have flagged Huawei's resurgence as a material threat to Apple's 2024 shipment targets, and the ripple effects extend through the entire supply chain. Qualcomm could lose as many as 60 million chip orders next year as Huawei reduces its reliance on foreign processors. TSMC, the Taiwanese foundry that manufactures chips for both companies, may see its annual revenue decline by as much as 10 percent.
The reasons for the Mate 60's dominance appear layered. While the iPhone 15 offers superior hardware in many respects, consumer behavior in China seems driven by something beyond raw specifications. Domestic buyers appear motivated by a desire to support a Chinese company, a patriotic impulse that has proven powerful enough to overcome any technical advantages Apple might claim. This sentiment reflects both nationalist pride and a pragmatic calculation: choosing a domestic alternative to a foreign brand.
Huawei has projected that it will ship approximately 20 million Mate 60 units within China, a substantial figure that underscores the scale of this moment. Yet uncertainty clouds the company's path forward. There is no confirmation that Huawei plans to follow the Mate 60 with successive flagship launches powered by even more advanced chips, which means this victory, however impressive it appears today, could prove temporary. If Huawei cannot sustain momentum with new models and continued innovation, Apple may reclaim its footing in the Chinese market as 2024 unfolds.
Citations marquantes
Phone dealers claim the Mate 60 is always in short supply, with units going out of stock almost immediately upon availability— Smartphone dealers in China, via MyDrivers reporting
Huawei's resurgence is one of the reasons why Apple will experience new challenges in 2024 when it comes to iPhone shipments— TrendForce analyst assessment
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