China’s smartphone market saw a 5% growth in the first quarter of 2025. This uptick is partly attributed to a government subsidy program.
The program gives 500 yuan to people who buy new smartphones that cost 6,000 yuan or less. This move aims to boost domestic consumption.
Huawei took the top spot in China’s smartphone market with a 19% share. Xiaomi tied with Huawei at 19%.
Apple’s sales in China keep dropping. Its market share fell to 15% from 17%. Analysts think this is because iPhone Pro models are too pricey for the government subsidy.
OPPO took fourth place with a 15% share, up 1% from the previous quarter. Vivo’s share dropped to 14% from 18%. Honor came in sixth with a 13% share.
To counter the slump, Apple cut prices on several iPhone 16 models. For example, the iPhone 16 Pro now costs 5,496 yuan, down from 7,999 yuan.
This price drop seems to be working. Apple’s market share in China jumped to 21.5% last week. Over 520,000 new iPhone 16 Pros and 320,000 iPhone 16 Pro Max devices were activated in just one week.
The big question is whether Apple can keep this momentum in China’s competitive smartphone market, especially with rising US-China tensions.
Key Players
- Huawei: 19% market share
- Xiaomi: 19% market share
- Apple: 15% market share
- OPPO: 15% market share
- vivo: 14% market share
- Honor: 13% market share