The dust is settling from the massive 618 trade festival in China, and a new trend is clearly visible: domestic smartphone manufacturers are taking the lead in the high-end market.

According to JD.com’s “Smartphone Race Rankings”, seven of the ten best-selling models priced above 6,000 yuan (about $828) in 2018 belonged to Chinese manufacturers, with the highest participation belonging to Huawei.

This marks a significant change for the Chinese market, where Apple has traditionally had a strong position in the premium segment. While Apple still maintains three spots in the top 10 with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Plus, Huawei has taken over the list with five new products: the Pura 70 series (including Pro, Pro+ and Ultra variants) and the Mate 60 Pro. Vivo also managed to take two places with the foldable X Fold 3 and X100 Ultra.

Huawei’s dominance goes beyond just the number of models. The flagship Mate60 Pro, released last August, has reportedly retained its resale value quite well. Despite a starting price of 6,499 yuan (US$896) under the Pioneer program, the phone experienced only a slight decline on e-commerce platforms, revealing strong consumer confidence in Huawei’s high-end offerings.

This trend can be explained by several factors. First, domestic manufacturers such as Huawei have made significant strides in innovation, offering feature-rich phones that rival, and in some respects even surpass, Apple.

Secondly, aggressive pricing strategies, especially during sales periods such as the 618, made these high-end devices more affordable for domestic consumers. Finally, considering the ongoing political tensions between China and the USA, some consumers may prefer domestic brands.

But Apple is not completely out of the race. Their decision to lower prices for the iPhone 15, starting at 4,599 yuan ($634), has helped them maintain their presence in the high-end segment.

With Huawei leading the segment and other brands like Vivo showing strong potential, consumers now have a wider range of interesting options to choose from when it comes to ultra-high-end smartphones. Not only does this challenge Apple to remain competitive, it also marks a potential turning point in the global smartphone market.