Chinese Smartphone Shipments Drop 4% YoY in Q2; Apple's Market Share Declines to Fifth Spot

China's smartphone market saw a 4% YoY decline in Q2 2025, with 69M units shipped. Apple's iPhone shipments in China fell 1.3% YoY to 9.6M. Huawei reclaimed the top spot, surpassing Apple, which slipped to fifth place. This marks the end of six consecutive quarters of growth in the Chinese smartphone market.

China's smartphone market experienced a significant downturn in the second quarter of 2025, with a 4% year-over-year (YoY) decline, according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC). This marks the end of six consecutive quarters of growth in the Chinese smartphone market, as total shipments fell to 69 million units [2].

Apple Inc. (AAPL) saw its iPhone shipments in China drop by 1.3% YoY to 9.6 million units, indicating a slowdown in demand. This decline was attributed to stiff competition from local manufacturers and a lack of government subsidies, which traditionally stimulate demand. Despite the drop, Apple maintained a 13.9% market share, ranking fifth among the top five smartphone vendors in China [2].

Huawei reclaimed the top spot in the Chinese market, shipping 12.5 million units, a 3.4% YoY decline, but still managing to surpass Apple. Xiaomi was the only top 5 brand to post YoY growth, with a 3.4% increase in shipments [2].

The overall market decline can be attributed to limited stimulus from government subsidies and cautious inventory management by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). OEMs focused on clearing inventory during the “618” shopping festival rather than pushing new shipments [2].

Samsung, the global leader in smartphone shipments, saw the highest growth in the second quarter, with shipments increasing 7.9% to 58 million units [1]. Apple maintained its market share as the second-top smartphone seller, with a growth of 1.5% in shipments [1].

The slowdown in the Chinese smartphone market is a reflection of broader economic uncertainty, particularly the impact of U.S. tariffs on trade partners, including China. IDC had previously slashed its 2025 global smartphone shipment growth forecast to 0.6% from 2.3% due to these factors [1].

References:
[1] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/idc-sees-growth-global-smartphone-174434588.html
[2] https://seekingalpha.com/news/4467480-china-smartphone-shipments-fall-in-q2-apple-slips-to-fifth-spot-huawei-reclaims-top-spot