Bad news for Apple in China

Fierce competition from Chinese rivals and a broader economic slowdown are contributing to another weak year for Apple.

iPhone shipments in China are expected to continue to decline in 2025. Photo: SCMP .

iPhone shipments in China are expected to continue to decline this year, partly due to increased competition from domestic brands and growing difficulties in the world's largest smartphone market, according to market research firm IDC.

Specifically, in its latest report, IDC forecasts that Apple's iPhone sales in China will decline by 1.9% in 2025 due to continued competition from Huawei and the broader economic downturn in the country.

In contrast, analysts expect total smartphone sales in China to grow 3% this year, as government subsidies boost demand for Android phones.

Explaining this, IDC said that the iPhone being excluded from the Chinese government's maximum subsidy program of 500 yuan ( 70 USD ) when buying smartphones under 6,000 yuan ( 831 USD ) will greatly affect the company's phone sales.

In fact, the iPhone numbers in China in early 2025 also do not show positive signs. Previously, according to market research firm IDC, iPhone sales in China in the first quarter reached 9.8 million units, down 9% compared to the same period last year. Apple is the only brand in the top 5 in China to see a decline in smartphone sales.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi's sales increased sharply by 39.9%, while Huawei also saw a 10% increase.

In terms of sales, market research firm Counterpoint said in a May report that iPhones fell 7.7% year-on-year in the first quarter, while Huawei phones saw a 28.5% jump.

Statistics from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) also showed an alarming signal when sales of foreign-branded smartphones (including Apple) in March reached 1.85 million, down 49.6% compared to the same period last year.

Source: https://znews.vn/du-bao-khong-lanh-cho-apple-tai-trung-quoc-post1557561.html