According to a report from Insider, Apple released its new iPhone 15 last month, but new data from China suggests the world's largest smartphone market isn't so impressed with the new release.
Sales of the iPhone 15 in China in its launch month were 6% lower than the iPhone 14 over the same period last year, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing data from market researcher GfK.
And now, social media users in China have begun adding to the discussion, voicing their opinions of the iPhone 15. As of publication, posts conversing over the iPhone 15 have drawn over 100 million views on Weibo, China's version of X (formerly Twitter).
While some found fault with the phone's high price point and lack of new features as compared to competing products, others put the iPhone 15 up against the local competitor, Huawei's new flagship Mate 60 Pro smartphone, which launched weeks prior to the iPhone 15 and is already considered to be a massive hit.
"It's not that Huawei is too strong, but that its rivals [Apple] are too weak. If it were you, would you upgrade to the iPhone 15 just for a new charging port?" read one post on Weibo.
Another user wrote: "Other than Apple's software, everything else is worse. Their prices are so much higher. Now, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Oppo are just as good, if not better than Apple.
"Even my 5-year-old Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro is still working fine. It doesn't hang and when I'm out, I don't need to carry a portable battery pack. What are you doing with your phones Apple? " the person went on further to state
While some were pleased with the minimalist design of Apple's iOS operating system, they also expressed their dismay with the company for making only incremental changes to the newer models.
"There isn't that big of a difference between the iPhone 13 and 15," one person replied on Weibo, adding that both models have the same refresh rate.
"The improvement in the camera ain't big. The batteries are just as small. Charging still takes just as long. The phone signal is poor. There is no need to upgrade," the person continued.
The blistering assessments of Apple's iPhones aren't solely of China. When Apple unveiled the new models in September, it was met with negative feedback on social media from fans who called the new phones "incredibly disappointing."
One Weibo user wrote in a post on Monday that "Apple's iPhone 15 has ceded significant market share to Huawei's Mate 60" because both companies are "targeting the same consumer segment."
Apple launched the iPhone 15 at its "Wonderlust" event in September. The latest iPhone comes with a USB-C charging port to comply with EU laws.
The iPhone 15 Pro also features a titanium frame and an "action button," a customizable button that is winning over Apple fans who have used it to do everything from unlocking their cars to ordering a latte.