Apple’s smartphone shipments in China dropped by 9 percent in the first quarter of 2025 to 9.8 million iPhones, down from over 10.7 million a year earlier, according to the latest data from global market research firm IDC.
The company was the only major smartphone maker to report a decline in shipments during this period — highlighting its growing struggle in the world’s largest smartphone market.
Its market share fell to 13.7 per cent, down sharply from 17.4 percent in the previous quarter. This marks the seventh consecutive quarter of decline for the US tech giant in China.
In contrast, Chinese smartphone leader Xiaomi saw a sharp 40 percent rise in shipments, reaching 13.3 million units.
Overall, the Chinese smartphone market grew 3.3 percent during the quarter, driven in part by new government subsidies introduced in January.
Will Wong, senior research manager for Client Devices at IDC Asia/Pacific, said that the ongoing US-China tensions have added to the challenges.
“The US-China tensions have fuelled unsettling news, but the silver lining is that the first quarter’s growth gave market players a better position to deal with any challenges in the rest of the year,” said Wong.
As Apple struggles in China, the company is reportedly shifting more focus toward India as a manufacturing and export hub.
According to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal, Apple is exploring the possibility of increasing iPhone exports from India to the US.
