by PENG Peng

China's smartphone shipments fell 0.6% in 2025, as Huawei reclaimed the market lead for the first time in five years, preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) showed.

Shipments in China totaled 285 million units last year, IDC said. Huawei shipped 46.7 million units, taking a 16.4% market share. Apple and vivo tied for second place, with shipments of 46.2 million and 46.1 million units respectively, each holding 16.2% of the market.

Xiaomi ranked fourth with about 43.8 million units shipped, while OPPO placed fifth at roughly 43.4 million units, both with market shares above 15%.

The decline followed a 5.6% rise in shipments in 2024, when China's smartphone market rebounded.

In the fourth quarter, shipments reached 75.78 million units, down 0.8% from a year earlier. Apple led the market with 16.0 million units and a 21.1% share, IDC said.

Globally, smartphone shipments rose 1.9% in 2025 to 1.26 billion units. Apple and Samsung were the fastest growing among the top five vendors, posting annual growth of 6.3% and 7.9%, lifting their combined market share to 39%.

Apple retained its position as the world's top smartphone vendor for a third straight year, shipping 247.8 million units for a 19.7% share. Samsung followed with 241.2 million units.

Xiaomi, vivo and OPPO ranked third to fifth globally, though all three saw slight market-share declines. Xiaomi shipped 165.3 million units, while vivo shipped 103 million units, up 2.7%, with growth largely driven by India. OPPO shipped 102 million units, down 2.7%, weighed by weaker overseas demand.

IDC said 2026 would be more challenging. Ryan Reith, Group Vice President for IDC's Worldwide Device Tracker, said the memory chip shortage is "unprecedented" and likely to pressure shipments next year, adding that larger vendors are better positioned to manage costs and secure supply.