IDC: China's smartphone market fell, but Huawei regained leadership

In the second quarter of 2025, smartphone sales in China fell 4% year-on-year - the first decline in six quarters of uninterrupted growth. However, according to IDC, Huawei returned to the top of the market for the first time in more than four years - with a share of 18.1 per cent, sending Vivo and Oppo to second and third place.

What's known

Huawei shipped around 12.5 million devices in the quarter - down 3.4 per cent year-on-year, indicating not so much a drop in demand for its devices but widespread industry-wide difficulties. At the same time, Xiaomi was the only one of the "Big Five" that showed sales growth, while Apple holds on to fifth position with 13.9 % of the market thanks to subsidised versions of the iPhone 16.

Experts note that Huawei has managed to strengthen itself due to its strong brand and optimised supply chains, even despite the technological limitations caused by sanctions. In addition, the company is actively promoting its HarmonyOS NEXT and 5G solutions - which strengthens its position against the backdrop of slowing global shipments.

For Android manufacturers and developers, this is a signal: the Chinese domestic market is once again becoming an arena of intense competition. Huawei, using subsidies and close integration with local component suppliers, can dictate partnership terms. Until the end of the year, the competition will focus on niche offerings - for example, foldable smartphones and top cameras. Vivo and Oppo are already working on retaliatory moves, while Xiaomi is banking on affordability and aggression on the budget segment in the face of consumers' reported living standards.

We'll see in the coming quarters - whether Huawei will strengthen its lead, or whether competitors will find ways to make up for the gap by setting new records in features and pricing.

Source: IDC