China’s smartphone market shipped 71.6 million units in the first quarter (1Q 2025), a 3.3% year-on-year (YoY) increase, according to preliminary data from the International Data Corp. (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. This growth was driven by the government subsidies that extended to smartphones in January 2025, as well as the peak sales season of the Spring Festival.

The market outperformed the global growth of 1.5% but came below IDC’s projections as the effect of the government subsidies on bolstering existing consumer demand appeared to be modest.

“The US-China tensions have fueled 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 Will Wong, senior research manager for Client Devices at IDC Asia/Pacific. “Xiaomi stood out as it regained the top spot after nearly a decade, a resurgence largely fueled by government subsidies that resonated with its value-conscious customer base. Apple, on the other hand, declined as its premium pricing structure prevented it from capitalizing on the subsidies.”

“The China market continues to grow with Q1 marking the sixth consecutive quarter of growth,” said Arthur Guo, senior research analyst in Client System Research for IDC China. “Nevertheless, the subsidy level as well as complexity in the rollout process led to lower-than-expected demand from the consumers. Looking ahead, the market is expected to face challenges as the US-China trade tensions may lead to cost increases and tighter consumer budgets.”

By: DocMemory
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