Han media: "Exceeding iPhone", Huawei regains the top position in China's smartphone market!
On February 14, the South Korean media "Korea Economic Daily" published an article stating that Huawei surpassed Apple in China's smartphone market in 2025 and reclaimed the top position. This is the first time in five years since losing market leadership due to U.S. restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports.
According to data released by market research company IDC, Huawei shipped 46.7 million smartphones last year, capturing a 16.4% share of China's smartphone market. Apple came in second with 46.2 million units (16.2%). For the year, Huawei ranked first in China's smartphone market, marking the first time since 2020.
The recovery of Huawei is attributed to its self-developed chip technology. By applying processors designed and manufactured in China to smartphones, Huawei significantly alleviated the supply chain gap caused by U.S. sanctions. Its high-end flagship model, Mate 80 Pro Max, is equipped with the latest Kirin 9030 chip. IDC stated: "Sustained improvement in self-developed chip production capacity is the key factor supporting Huawei's 2025 shipment growth."
The competitive landscape in the Chinese smartphone market is also changing. IDC analyzed: "Some Chinese manufacturers are shifting their focus to overseas markets such as India and Africa to avoid direct competition with the strong rebound of Huawei." Vivo shipped 46.1 million units, following Apple closely, while Xiaomi and OPPO followed closely behind.
However, the market environment remains full of challenges. As the world's largest smartphone market, China's total smartphone shipments reached 284.6 million units last year, declining by 0.6%. IDC predicts that the decline may widen further this year due to insufficient memory chip supplies. Rising memory prices directly impact manufacturers' profitability. Xiaomi and Honor announced plans to increase the prices of smartphones and tablets, while Meizu canceled new product launches citing cost pressures. In the fourth quarter of last year, Chinese companies reduced the shipment of low-end models, leading to a 0.8% decline in overall shipments.
Additionally, in the global market, Apple's market share in 2025 was 19.7%, firmly holding the top position. Samsung Electronics ranked second with a 19.1% market share, followed by Xiaomi, Vivo, and OPPO.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1857102350814531/
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