Apple Inc. sold fewer iPhones and lost ground to Chinese rivals last year, reflecting the absence of Apple Intelligence in its largest market outside the US.

The iPhone slipped a point to 18 per cent market share in 2024, according to Counterpoint Research data. Archrival Samsung Electronics Co. also gave up share to faster-growing Android device makers from China, led by Xiaomi Corp. and Vivo. Apple marked a 2 per cent sales decline for the full year, according to the research, at a time that the wider market grew 4 per cent globally.