Apple’s smartphone shipments in China dropped by 9 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 to 9.8 million iPhones, down from over 10.7 million a year earlier, according to 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 per cent 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 per cent rise in shipments, reaching 13.3 million units.
Overall, the Chinese smartphone market grew 3.3 per cent 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. This move is aimed at avoiding heavy tariffs imposed by the US on Chinese imports, which now stand at up to 245 per cent.
India, by comparison, faces only a 26 per cent US tariff, making it a more cost-effective alternative. Meanwhile, Apple India saw a 60 per cent surge in iPhone production from its local supply chain in the financial year ending March 31, 2025, reaching a turnover of nearly Rs 1.89 lakh crore, according to industry data last week.
Out of this total, iPhones worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore were exported from India during 2024-25, according to Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw.
