Things are looking up for Apple in China.
The tech giant is expected to lead in smartphone shipments in 2025 in a region that has previously been a low point, according to a research report published by the International Data Corporation on Tuesday.
In China — Apple’s largest market — there has been massive demand for the new iPhone 17, which is propelling Apple toward a record 2025. IDC predicts 247 million iPhones will be shipped globally this year.
Apple was “miles ahead of the competition” in China in October and November, with a market share of more than 20%, according to IDC’s monthly sales data in China.
“This turns a previously projected 1% decline in China for 2025 into a positive 3% growth, that’s a phenomenal turnaround,” Nabila Popal, senior research director with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, said in the report.
It’s a big leap from the 9% decline in iPhone shipments in China that IDC reported in April, a few months before the iPhone 17 lineup was announced. The firm also found that Apple was the only major smartphone maker to lose market share in the first quarter of 2025.
Globally, IDC forecasts that worldwide smartphone shipments will grow 1.5% year over year, driven by Apple’s performance in the holiday quarter. Apple told analysts in October that it expects revenue for the December quarter to be the “best ever” for both the company and the iPhone.
Although Apple CEO Tim Cook’s prediction of returning to growth in China seems to be on track so far, the iPhone maker showed signs of a struggle in its most recent quarter. Cook said a supply constraint in China drove a 4% year-over-year decline during the period.
Apple faces local competition in China as rivals like Huawei and Xiaomi release new smartphone lineups. The iPhone Air, which was announced alongside the iPhone 17, also faced early challenges in China, where the eSIM-only phone was unavailable for some time after the global release. Still, Cook said he “couldn’t be more pleased” with how well the iPhone 17 was being received in China during its first month on the market.
The iPhone’s success has spread across regions, including the US and Western Europe. IDC forecasts that overall global shipments will grow 6.1% year-over-year in 2025.
“This calendar year will not only be a record period for Apple in terms of shipments but also in value, which is forecast to exceed $261 billion,” Popal said.
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