Smartphone market share in China 2025, by leading model
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In April 2025, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max had a market share of four percent in China. It was the most popular smartphone model in the country, followed by the iPhone 16 Pro and the Huawei Nova 13.
A sprinkle of Apple
The Chinese smartphone market was dominated by Chinese brands, with a stable share of Apple’s iPhone. As of 2024, at least 80 percent of the country’s market was occupied by domestic brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Honor. While these companies were able to replace most foreign brands, Apple was still capable of carving out a consistent market share and even selling the most popular smartphone models in the country.
The rise and fall of Huawei
Until 2021, Huawei was China’s largest smartphone manufacturer until the U.S. sanctions from two years earlier finally began to bite. After being placed on a trade black list, the Shenzhen-based tech giant was barred it from accessing important chips and other components. As a result, the company’s smartphone division and, consequently, its revenue took a significant hit. After Huawei’s demise, the former Huawei-owned Honor entered the market in 2021 and slowly carved out a chunk of the Chinese market. However, with the release of new flagship models, the company made it back into the Chinese smartphone market.
