Apple reclaimed the top spot in China's smartphone market during Q4 2025, with shipments surging 28% year-over-year to capture a 22% share, according to Counterpoint Research. This reversed a trend where Apple trailed domestic competitors earlier in the year, even as the overall Chinese market shrank 1.6%.

The turnaround was fueled by strong demand for the iPhone 17 lineup, particularly the Pro models, which accounted for about 20% of Apple's China shipments. The company also benefited from an accelerated supply ramp-up, helping it meet holiday demand more effectively than rivals hampered by memory chip shortages and component constraints.

For the full year, Huawei still led the Chinese market with a 16.4% share, but Apple and vivo closely trailed at around 16% each. Globally, Apple remained the largest vendor in 2025, shipping 247.8 million iPhones for a 19.7% share, outpacing Samsung and Xiaomi, according to IDC.