Robert Besser
22 Apr 2025

BEIJING, China: Apple's grip on China's smartphone market continued to weaken in the first quarter of 2025, with the U.S. tech giant posting a nine percent drop in shipments compared to a year earlier, according to new figures from research firm IDC.

The company shipped 9.8 million iPhones during the quarter, down from 10.8 million in the same period last year. That left Apple with a 13.7 percent market share, slipping from 17.4 percent in the previous quarter. It also made it the only major smartphone maker in China to record a year-on-year decline.

It also marked the seventh consecutive quarter of shrinking shipments for Apple in the world's biggest smartphone market.

In contrast, local rival Xiaomi saw its shipments soar by 40 percent to 13.3 million units, retaining the top spot in the Chinese market. Overall, industry shipments in the country rose by 3.3 percent during the quarter.

IDC analyst Will Wong attributed Apple's underperformance to its premium pricing strategy, which has limited its ability to benefit from recently launched government subsidies.

"Apple's premium pricing structure has prevented the U.S. company from capitalising on new government subsidies introduced in January," Wong said.

The subsidy programme, aimed at boosting consumer electronics sales, allows customers to receive a 15 percent refund on smartphones and other eligible products priced under 6,000 yuan (US$820). That threshold excludes most of Apple's flagship devices.