A few weeks ago, a report from Counterpoint Research suggested Apple may be turning things around in China. Now, new data from Canalys shows iPhone shipments in mainland China rose during the second quarter of 2025, even as the broader smartphone market declined. Here’s the breakdown.
iPhone picks up, but Apple still in fifth
Canalys’ numbers show that Apple shipped 10.1 million iPhones in Q2 2025, placing it fifth in China’s smartphone rankings, behind Huawei, vivo, OPPO, and Xiaomi.
As noted by Canalys, Huawei reclaimed the top spot with 12.2 million units shipped, thanks in part to strong demand for its HarmonyOS 5.0-powered Nova 14 series.
If you follow this sort of news, you’ll know that while Apple’s position may not look impressive, it actually represents progress. During Q1, Apple was the only major vendor to post a decline in shipments in China, squeezed mainly by a surge of government-backed incentives for domestic brands.
But in Q2, Apple lowered prices on the iPhone 16 lineup just ahead of the annual “618” shopping festival, and opted into Chinese subsidy programs for the first time.
Overall, Apple grew 4% year over year, although its market share ticked up just 1% (to 15%), tied with Xiaomi. OPPO came in third with 16%, vivo second with 17%, and Huawei in first with 18% total market share.
Interestingly, the “Other” category, comprised of all other brands that also shipped phones to China, saw a 20% year-over-year drop. In fact, only Huawei, Xiaomi, and Apple saw growth, indicating that the market is further consolidating around fewer players.
Next up: Apple earnings
While reports from Canalys and Counterpoint Research paint a positive picture for Apple’s China performance during the last quarter, IDC recently released a report suggesting that Apple had actually seen a 1% drop in China during the quarter. But IDC emphasized that the data was preliminary and subject to change.
Still, it adds to the anticipation ahead of Apple’s planned quarterly results announcement tomorrow, which we’ll cover in full as soon as the numbers are in. So be sure to check back.
Do you expect Apple’s China rebound to show in this quarter’s results? Tell us in the comments.
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