Huawei has claimed the lead position in China’s smartphone market for the first time in over four years, despite overall shipments in the nation falling 4 per cent year-on-year in Q2 2025.
Data from IDC’s latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report revealed that total shipments dropped to 69 million units, marking the first decline in the country’s smartphone market following six consecutive quarters of growth. The downturn was attributed to limited impact from government subsidies and weak consumer confidence.
In an economically uncertain market, Huawei led with 12.5 million units shipped, capturing an 18.1 per cent market share despite a 3.4 per cent decline. Will Wong, Senior Research Manager for Client Devices at IDC Asia Pacific, credited Huawei’s rebound to “its strong brand appeal and effective shipment management”.
Vivo ranked second with 11.9 million units, down 10.1 per cent, while Oppo followed with 10.7 million units, falling 5 per cent.
Xiaomi was the only top five vendor to record annual growth during the quarter, driven by its appeal amongst price-sensitive consumers, Wong noted. Apple rounded out the top five, with 9.6 million units shipped and a 1.3 per cent decline. Despite its downturn, Wong explained the iPhone-maker managed to narrow its losses by adjusting prices to make select iPhone 16 and 16 Pro models eligible for government subsidies.
Rebound unlikely
IDC also flagged headwinds tied to the country’s subsidy scheme. Arthur Guo, senior research analyst at IDC China, noted that disruptions in the rollout of subsidies dampened demand. “We anticipate a gradual resumption,” he said, though he cautioned that broader economic uncertainties would continue to weigh on consumer confidence.
Indeed, Guo warned that although the recent US-China trade truce might have eased geopolitical tensions, a rebound in smartphone demand is “unlikely in the immediate term” as the market will face a “more complex landscape” in the second half of the year.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Huawei
