Huawei reclaims China’s top smartphone spot amid market dip

Details: Manny Pham; Category: Devices & Platforms; 15 January 2026; 13664 views

Huawei has regained the title of China’s leading smartphone manufacturer for the first time in five years, narrowly edging ahead in a competitive market, according to Omdia.

For the full year 2025, Huawei shipped 46.8 million units, capturing a 17% market share. Close behind, Vivo shipped 46.0 million units (16%), while Apple secured third place with 45.9 million units (16%). Xiaomi and Oppo rounded out the top five with 43.7 million (15%) and 42.8 million units (15%), respectively.

Overall, Mainland China’s smartphone market contracted slightly, declining 1% year-on-year from 284.6 million units in 2024 to 282.3 million units in 2025.

In the fourth quarter, shipments totalled 76.4 million units, down slightly from 4Q24. Apple’s Q4 share grew sharply to 22%, with 16.5 million units shipped, a 26% year-on-year increase. Vivo followed with 11.9 million units (16%), while Oppo climbed from sixth to fourth with 11.6 million units, up 10.6% year-on-year. Huawei fell to fourth in Q4 with 11.1 million units (14.7%), down from 16.3% a year earlier, and Xiaomi shipped 10.0 million units, maintaining a top-five position.

Omdia analyst Lucas Zhong said: “In 2026, rising costs will become a major challenge for smartphone vendors in both mainland China and global markets. Memory price inflation is creating a highly dynamic environment for component supply, product strategy, and pricing, forcing vendors to carefully balance cost management, price competitiveness, and hardware upgrades.”

He added: “Despite short-term cost pressures, vendors are continuing to invest in long-term value drivers, including flagship store expansions and renovations, AI and cross-device ecosystem development, and imaging innovation. We expect 2026 to remain a year of value growth and product innovation in Mainland China’s smartphone market.”