mobile phone shipments in China

In November 2025, the volume of foreign-branded mobile phones shipped within China experienced a substantial year-over-year increase of 128.4%. This surge was primarily due to increased sales of Apple iPhones, especially iPhone 17. According to data released by the government-affiliated China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), 6.93 million units of international brands were shipped last month. This sharp rise occurred within the context of a broader market increase — total national mobile phone shipments for November reached 30.16 million units, representing a more modest overall year-on-year growth of 1.9%.

The exceptional increase in foreign branded phones is largely attributed to the robust reception of the new iPhone 17 series in the Chinese market. Reports indicate the iPhone 17 line accounted for a substantial portion of Apple’s sales during the period, successfully recapturing market share that had been lost to strong local competition, such as Huawei, throughout the year.

This marks a significant turnaround for Apple in China. In the first month after the iPhone 17 launch, sales reportedly jumped 22% compared to the iPhone 16 launch the previous year. The performance stands in stark contrast to previous periods in 2024 where Apple’s sales had faced challenges and decline due to intensified competition and market saturation. In October 2025, iPhones reportedly accounted for one in every four smartphones sold in China, their highest market share since 2022.

Meanwhile, domestic phone brands like Huawei and Xiaomi saw slower momentum as they delayed some new product launches. That gave Apple a wider sales window and helped foreign brands capture about 23% of the market, compared with roughly 10% in past months.

China brands account for eight of the top 10 global smartphone market share positions after Samsung and Apple.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Smartphone Vendor Global Market Share:

Samsung maintained its leadership in the global smartphone market, holding a 19% share. Apple ranked second with a 17% share, Xiaomi, vivo, and Transsion rounded out the top five, OPPO (including OnePlus), Honor, Lenovo-Motorola, Huawei, and Realme completed the top ten list for Q3 2025.

Global smartphone shipments are expected to grow 3.3% YoY in 2025, according to Counterpoint Research’s latest Smartphone Market Outlook Tracker. Apple’s smartphone shipments have performed strongly throughout 2025, particularly in Q3. Counterpoint forecasts that the brand’s shipments will reach a global share of 19.4% in 2025, making Apple the world’s No.1 smartphone OEM for the first time since 2011. Samsung’s shipments are also expected to grow 4.6% YoY and reach a global share of 18.7%, yet the company will relinquish the top spot it has held for more than a decade.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

References:

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/foreign-branded-phone-shipments-china-more-than-doubled-year-nov-caict-data-2025-12-25/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/apple-aapl-reclaims-ground-in-china-as-iphone-17-drives-128-shipment-jump/ar-AA1T0Sb1

https://www.tipranks.com/news/apple-rival-xiaomi-xiacf-claims-forecast-busting-sales-of-new-17-series-smartphone

https://counterpointresearch.com/en/insights/Global-Smartphone-Forecast-for-2025