Apple’s iPhone shipments in China plunge nearly 50% as local rivals surge

Apple’s grip on the Chinese smartphone market has weakened sharply, with iPhone shipments plunging 49.6% year-on-year in March 2025, according to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). Shipments dropped from 3.75 million units in March 2024 to just 1.89 million last month, pushing Apple down to fifth place in market rankings.

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The steep decline reflects a broader retreat by foreign smartphone brands, which now hold only 8% of China’s market—half their share from a year ago. In contrast, the overall Chinese smartphone market grew by 3.3% in the first quarter of 2025, underlining a growing shift toward domestic manufacturers.

Huawei reclaimed the top spot with a 19.4% market share, driven by its new HarmonyOS Next and self-developed chips. Vivo, Xiaomi, and Oppo followed, while Apple’s share fell to 14.1%. Contributing to Apple’s struggles are its slow adoption of generative AI features and China’s push for homegrown technology.

A government subsidy offering a 15% rebate on devices under 6,000 yuan has also excluded Apple’s iPhone 16, which is priced just above the threshold. In response, Apple has begun cutting prices for its iPhone 16 Pro ahead of the mid-year 618 shopping festival.

Although Apple’s Greater China revenue slipped only 2% in the March quarter—an improvement over last year’s holiday drop—it reflects ongoing challenges in one of its most critical markets.