Apple continues to lose ground in the smartphone market in China. While overall smartphone sales in the country increased in the first quarter of 2025, there was a noticeable decline in iPhone sales.
iPhone sales continue to decline in China
According to data published by market research company IDC, Apple’s sales in China decreased by 9 percent compared to the same period last year and fell to 9.8 million units. The company’s market share thus decreased from 15.6 percent to 13.7 percent.
Apple’s market share in China has been decreasing for seven consecutive quarters. The most obvious reason for this situation is the intense competition with domestic manufacturers. Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo and Vivo continue to attract consumers’ attention with both their product variety and price-performance advantage.
Xiaomi, in particular, took the market leadership by reaching 13.3 million units with a 40 percent increase in shipments during this period. Huawei, on the other hand, achieved 12.9 million sales with a 10 percent growth. Oppo maintained its top spot in the market with 11.2 million shipments and Vivo with 10.3 million shipments.
In addition, under the Chinese government’s incentive program, consumers can get a 15 percent refund for phones under $820 or 6,000 yuan. However, since the starting price of the iPhone 16 series is 5,999 yuan, many models cannot fully benefit from this subsidy.
It is eagerly awaited whether Apple will be able to reverse this trend in the coming period. So what do you think about this issue? You can share your views with us in the comments section below.
