Apple finally sees iPhone sales growth in China. But Huawei is still ahead
iPhone sales in China rose for the first time in years (up 8% year over year), but competitor Huawei is still “riding high”
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Apple’s iPhone sales in China rose 8% year over year in the second quarter of 2025, new research says.
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Counterpoint Research tracked smartphone sales in China during Q2 of this year, and found that between April 1 and June 22, Apple’s iPhone sales increased — as did sales for its main competitor, Huawei, according to preliminary data released Thursday by the global market research firm. The report says Huawei’s smartphone sales went up by 12% year over year during the same period. Competitor Vivo’s growth declined by 9% year over year.
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This is the first time since the second quarter of 2023 that Apple has seen growth in China, CNBC reported.
“Apple’s adjustment of iPhone prices in May was well timed and well received, coming a week ahead of the 618 shopping festival,” Ethan Qi, associate director at Counterpoint Research, said in a statement.
China’s 618 shopping festival is one of the country’s two major annual sales extravaganzas. Counterpoint Research says Apple gained the “top spot” during the 618 sales period, but the Chinese tech manufacturer Huawei also gained traction.
Ivan Lam, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, said in the release, “Huawei is still riding high on the loyalty of its core users as they replace their old phones with new Huawei releases.”
Huawei and other Chinese smartphone makers experienced double-digit growth last year, boosting smartphone shipments in China by 8.9% year over year in the second quarter, according to a previous IDC report.
Apple has been competing with the Chinese smartphone maker for years. In January, Apple offered a discount on its latest iPhone models to compete with Huawei. Chinese e-commerce sites offered discounts of up to $351 — or 2,530 yuan — for the iPhone 16 in May to create incentives for customers, Reuters said. Plus, in that same month, Apple increased the amount that customers in China could get taken off the prices of new iPhones when they trade in their old ones, CNBC said.
–Britney Nguyen contributed to this article.