Huawei has once again taken the crown as China’s leading smartphone brand, reclaiming the No. 1 position in the second quarter of 2025 after a significant comeback in the domestic market. According to newly released data, the company shipped 12.2 million smartphones in China between April and June, representing an impressive 15% year-over-year growth and securing an 18% market share.

This marks Huawei’s return to the top of the Chinese smartphone rankings for the first time since the first quarter of 2024. The company’s resurgence follows a turbulent period marked by U.S. sanctions that had severely hampered its smartphone business. However, through aggressive product launches and the development of its proprietary HarmonyOS operating system, Huawei has managed to regain ground and consumer confidence.

Meanwhile, Apple, facing stiff competition from Huawei and other local brands like Xiaomi, posted a modest but notable recovery in the same quarter. The American tech giant shipped 10.1 million smartphones, achieving a 4% increase year-over-year. This is Apple’s first return to growth in China since the fourth quarter of 2023 and positions it fifth in the market rankings.

Apple’s growth was largely driven by strategic pricing adjustments for its iPhone 16 series in China. E-commerce platforms offered discounts on iPhone models, while Apple increased trade-in values for older devices, making new purchases more attractive to Chinese consumers. These efforts appear to have paid off, as shipment figures rebounded ahead of the company’s upcoming quarterly earnings report.