Non-Chinese smartphone shipments (including Apple’s iPhone) in China plunged precipitously in March 2025, falling a concerning 49.6% year-over-year according to data released by The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).
Shipments fell to just 1.89 million units, down from 3.75 million during the same period last year. Apple’s share of the Chinese market now sits at around 8%, a miniscule piece of the Chinese smartphone market, when compared to domestic brands 92% of smartphone shipments.
The first quarter of 2025 saw non-Chinese brand shipments decline more than 25%, even though total smartphone shipments in China increased by 3.3%.
Domestic smartphone makers have continued to gain ground in China. Counterpoint Research reports Huawei sits atop the group with a 19.4% share, followed by Vivo (17%), Xiaomi (16.6%), and Oppo (14.6%). Apple has fallen to fifth place with 14.1%.
Apple’s decline in shipments can be attributed to competition from rejuvenated local brands like Huawei, which has rebounded from previous years, thanks to its proprietary chips and HarmonyOS Next software.
Chinese government policies are contributing to the decrease in iPhone shipments, as government subsidies offer a 15% refund to consumers when they buy smartphones that are priced less than 6,000 yuan ($820). Apple’s standard iPhone 16 starts at 5,999 yuan.
Apple is working to reverse the plunge in iPhone shipments, reportedly cutting prices on some iPhone 16 Pro models ahead of China’s “618” shopping festival.
Analysts also see Apple’s slower adoption of generative AI features as a disadvantage in the Chinese market.
(Via DigiTimes.)
