Apple Slips to Fifth in China's Smartphone Market with 9% Decline [Report]

Apple's share of the Chinese smartphone market declined 9.0% year over year in Q1 2025, despite the market shipping 71.6 million units for a 3.3% year-over-year increase, according to a new report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. Government subsidies rolled out in January 2025 and a strong Spring Festival sales period drove the growth, though it fell short of IDC's expectations and trailed the global market's 1.5% uptick.

Apple shipped 9.8 million units, landing a 13.7% market share and ranking fifth behind Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, and vivo. Xiaomi took the lead, shipping 13.3 million units for an 18.6% share, with a striking 39.9% growth fueled by its appeal to budget-conscious buyers benefiting from subsidies. Huawei wasn't far behind, moving 12.9 million units for an 18.0% share, up 10.0%. OPPO shipped 11.2 million units, holding 15.7%, while vivo delivered 10.3 million units, claiming 14.4%.




"The US-China tensions have fueled unsettling news, but the silver lining is that the first quarter's growth gave market players a better position to deal with any challenges in the rest of the year," said Will Wong, senior research manager for Client Devices at IDC Asia/Pacific. "Xiaomi stood out as it regained the top spot after nearly a decade, a resurgence largely fueled by government subsidies that resonated with its value-conscious customer base, " added Wong. "Apple, on the other hand, declined as its premium pricing structure prevented it from capitalizing on the subsidies."

"The China market continues to grow with Q1 marking the sixth consecutive quarter of growth," said Arthur Guo, senior research analyst in Client System Research for IDC China. "Nevertheless, the subsidy level as well as complexity in the rollout process led to lower-than-expected demand from the consumers," added Guo. Looking ahead, the market is expected to face challenges as the US-China trade tensions may lead to cost increases and tighter consumer budgets."

Apple's high-end pricing strategy struggled against competitors leaning into subsidies, leaving it as the only top-five player to see a drop in shipments this quarter.