Apple Regains Top Spot in China's Smartphone Market

Apple tops China smartphone market in Q4 2025, driven by strong iPhone 17 Pro demand amid industry-wide chip shortages.
Matilda
Apple Regains Top Spot in China's Smartphone Market
Apple Tops China Smartphone Market Again—Here’s How It Pulled Off the Comeback For the first time in over a year, Apple has reclaimed the top spot in China’s fiercely competitive smartphone market. The shift, confirmed by new data from Counterpoint Research, was fueled by surging demand for the iPhone 17 lineup—especially the Pro models—during the critical holiday quarter of 2025. Despite a broader market contraction and widespread memory chip shortages that hampered rivals, Apple’s shipments in China jumped 28% year-over-year, securing a 22% market share in Q4. Credit: Google So how did Apple pull off this reversal in a market long dominated by domestic giants like Huawei, vivo, and Xiaomi? And what does this mean for the future of premium smartphones in China? iPhone 17 Pro Models Drive Apple’s Surge in China The iPhone 17 series didn’t just perform—it outperformed expectations. According to Counterpoint, the Pro variants accounted for roughly 20% of all Apple shipments in China during t…