For the first time in ten years, Xiaomi has taken the top spot in the Chinese market according to Canalys’ Q1 2025 data. The tech giant shipped 13.3 million smartphones and took a 19% share of the market.
Canalys says the company benefited from the synergy between its smartphone business and its broader ecosystem, which includes wearables, PCs, and even electric vehicles.
Its unified pricing strategy across online and offline channels reportedly helped it better leverage government subsidies, encouraging bundled purchases and reducing decision friction for buyers.
Huawei isn’t far behind, but Apple is in fifth
Huawei wasn’t far behind. It shipped 13 million units, holding an 18% market share and maintaining double-digit growth. The company’s performance was buoyed by continued investment in foldable phones, like the Mate XT (review) and Pura X, and a growing emphasis on HarmonyOS Next.
The in-house operating system is expected to account for 3% of China’s smartphone install base by the end of 2025.
Oppo and Vivo followed with 10.6 million and 10.4 million units shipped, respectively. Each held 15% market share, but only Vivo saw a slight year-on-year increase in shipments. Oppo’s sales declined by 3%.
More surprisingly, Apple fell to fifth place in the leaderboard. The Cupertino giant shipped 9.2 million iPhones, which is an 8% drop year-over-year. The decline follows its seasonal high in Q4 2024 and highlights ongoing challenges for the brand in a market increasingly focused on domestic alternatives and price-sensitive strategies.
All in all, mainland China’s smartphone market saw a modest recovery in Q1 2025. Shipments rose to 70.9 million units, a 5% increase from the same period last year.
Canalys says the uptick was driven by national subsidy policies and improving consumer sentiment, though analysts suggest much of the growth was pulled forward rather than generated organically.
For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.
Don’t miss a thing! Join our Telegram community for instant updates and grab our free daily newsletter for the best tech stories!
(Source)
Comments