New stats published by the IDC are speaking out about Chinese smartphone sales in Q1 of this year. Sadly, all companies except for Apple are doing great.
This is another added pressure on Apple China as their problems keep mounting, especially thanks to the ongoing trade war between America and China, thanks to Trump. Remember, most of Apple’s products are produced in China, and seeing iPhone sales drop tremendously is a serious issue.
Many experts feel that the high selling price, no AI, and the subsidy program might be some of the factors causing the outcome. The fact that Apple is the only tech giant whose sales keep falling YoY says so much.
To be more exact, the company stood fifth in shipments as well as market share. It was also the only firm in the top five where sales were declining. That’s alarming considering the market is ready to buy other archrivals like Huawei and Xiaomi, but not Apple. In fact, both smartphone giants saw growth in sales by double digits, while Apple continues to lose.
If you’re wondering what the reason for this decline could be, the answer is simple. There isn’t any Apple Intelligence that was supposed to make products stand out.
The growth during the first quarter kept on giving market leaders a better position to deal with any issues during the other parts of the year. Xiaomi stands out as it managed to retain its top spot after almost 10 years. Apple keeps falling on the list as the premium pricing stops it from making the most of subsidies.
China did offer plenty of subsidies so buyers could make more smartphone purchases. However, those subsidies apply to smartphones in the low and mid-range. Now, the iPhone 16 might qualify, but the more trending 16 Pro lineup is very costly for clients to benefit from. Strained relations between America and China aren’t helping and keep showing up as challenges that Apple fails to overcome.
Now the question is if the iPhone maker can really turn its fate around in China and bring up iPhone sales anytime soon. It looks like only time can tell, and we’ll keep you updated on that front.
Read next: OpenAI’s Latest o3 and o4-mini AI Models Disappoint Due to More Hallucinations than Older Models
This is another added pressure on Apple China as their problems keep mounting, especially thanks to the ongoing trade war between America and China, thanks to Trump. Remember, most of Apple’s products are produced in China, and seeing iPhone sales drop tremendously is a serious issue.
Many experts feel that the high selling price, no AI, and the subsidy program might be some of the factors causing the outcome. The fact that Apple is the only tech giant whose sales keep falling YoY says so much.
To be more exact, the company stood fifth in shipments as well as market share. It was also the only firm in the top five where sales were declining. That’s alarming considering the market is ready to buy other archrivals like Huawei and Xiaomi, but not Apple. In fact, both smartphone giants saw growth in sales by double digits, while Apple continues to lose.
If you’re wondering what the reason for this decline could be, the answer is simple. There isn’t any Apple Intelligence that was supposed to make products stand out.
The growth during the first quarter kept on giving market leaders a better position to deal with any issues during the other parts of the year. Xiaomi stands out as it managed to retain its top spot after almost 10 years. Apple keeps falling on the list as the premium pricing stops it from making the most of subsidies.
China did offer plenty of subsidies so buyers could make more smartphone purchases. However, those subsidies apply to smartphones in the low and mid-range. Now, the iPhone 16 might qualify, but the more trending 16 Pro lineup is very costly for clients to benefit from. Strained relations between America and China aren’t helping and keep showing up as challenges that Apple fails to overcome.
Now the question is if the iPhone maker can really turn its fate around in China and bring up iPhone sales anytime soon. It looks like only time can tell, and we’ll keep you updated on that front.
| Company | 2025Q1 Shipments (mn units) | 2025Q1 Market Share | 2024Q1 Shipments (mn units) | 2024Q1 Market Share | YoY Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xiaomi | 13.3 | 18.6% | 9.5 | 13.8% | 39.9% |
| Huawei | 12.9 | 18.0% | 11.7 | 17.0% | 10.0% |
| OPPO | 11.2 | 15.7% | 10.9 | 15.7% | 3.3% |
| vivo | 10.3 | 14.4% | 10.1 | 14.6% | 2.3% |
| Apple | 9.8 | 13.7% | 10.8 | 15.6% | -9.0% |
| Others | 14.0 | 19.5% | 16.3 | 23.5% | -14.0% |
| Total | 71.6 | 100.0% | 69.3 | 100.0% | 3.3% |
Read next: OpenAI’s Latest o3 and o4-mini AI Models Disappoint Due to More Hallucinations than Older Models
