BEIJING, July 15 (Reuters) -

China's smartphone market contracted in the second quarter

after six straight quarters of growth, with shipments declining

at four of the top five brands due to weaker consumer demand,

IDC data showed on Tuesday.

Apple ( AAPL ), ranked fifth in China's smartphone market, saw

its shipments decline 1.3% year-on-year to 9.6 million units in

the second quarter, a smaller drop compared with the 9% decline

in the first quarter, thanks to price adjustments made to

specific iPhone 16 and 16 Pro variants eligible for government

subsidies.

Apple's ( AAPL ) market share rose to 13.9% in the June quarter,

up from 13.7% in the March quarter. It was Apple's ( AAPL ) eighth

straight quarter of decline.

Huawei reclaimed the top spot after more than four

years, with a market share of 18.1%. The Shenzhen-based tech

giant shipped 12.5 million phones in the second quarter, down

3.4% year-on-year.

Xiaomi ( XIACF ), which ranks fourth, is the only smartphone maker

to record growth in shipments in the last quarter. Vivo, which

ranks second, saw shipments decline 10.1%, the steepest among

the top five selling brands.

China's smartphone shipments overall dropped 4.0%

year-on-year to 69 million units in the second quarter as growth

momentum driven by the government subsidies subdued amid broader

weakness.

"The broader economic environment presents ongoing

challenges, with consumer confidence remaining subdued," said

Arthur Guo, senior research analyst at IDC.

A significant uplift in smartphone demand is unlikely in

the immediate term, and the market will navigate a more complex

landscape in the second half of the year, he added.