Huawei leaves Honor and vivo behind with massive lead in foldable race

The Chinese smartphone market has witnessed a seismic shift as we end the year 2025. As per the latest figures from the International Data Corporation (IDC), the total annual shipments remained around 284 million units with a minor drop of 0.6%. Despite this minor slump, the war among the top brands has never been more cutthroat than it is today, with a legendary brand finally taking back its rightful place on top. I’ve been observing the numbers, and the truth isn’t just in the numbers but also in the “comeback of the decade.” Whereas global brands such as Apple swept the last quarter with their lineup of iPhone 17, homegrown brands have been using their ecosystem integration to win over loyal fans.

The Bottom Line: The State of the Market

Huawei is officially back at No. 1 in China for the year 2025. Huawei is officially back at No. 1 in China for
Apple recorded the highest number of shipments in the quarter since 2022 in the fourth quarter, led by iPhone 17.
Xiaomi maintained year-over-year growth for the second year in a row, performing well in the high-end segment.
Foldables experienced a brief correction in Q4 but registered a nearly 10% growth for the year.

Huawei Reclaims the Crown (But There’s a Catch)

After five long years of a tough struggle, Huawei has finally managed to regain its leading position in terms of shipments for the entire year of 2025. We have witnessed their efforts to cope with hardware limitations by focusing heavily on their own processors and HarmonyOS, which has achieved a 12% market share. However, it wasn’t a complete landslide. Although they maintained their lead on a yearly basis, their sales actually experienced a slight drop towards the end of the year. This can mostly be attributed to the immense pressure generated by the iPhone 17 release and the increasing component prices that pushed the brand towards prioritizing their sales on the higher-margin models.

Was the iPhone 17 a Savior for Apple in China?

The performance of Apple in the fourth quarter is nothing but “a quarterly high.” The iPhone 17 lineup experienced better supply chain management, and as such, Apple took the lead in the last quarter of the year. We can notice the rush of Chinese people to the latest releases, and it is evident that the “slab phone” is far from being obsolete. It is interesting to note that although the iPhone 17 was a success, there is still caution in the market as a whole. According to IDC analysts, although it is true that subsidies from governments helped, it is more likely that they simply pushed up demand rather than attracting new buyers into the market. It is likely that 2026 is going to be tough, given that memory chip prices are expected to skyrocket.

The Xiaomi Premium Gamble Pays Off

The brand that is worth watching is Xiaomi. They have managed to grow from year to year for the second consecutive year, which is quite an achievement that many of their competitors found difficult to do. Their focus has shifted largely to the $600+ (about 4,200 CNY) category, where their market share has increased significantly. The Xiaomi 15 and Xiaomi 16 series have proven that Xiaomi has the capability to compete in the high-end market, rivaling the likes of Huawei and Apple. This has been largely attributed to the Xiaomi HyperConnect, which integrates Xiaomi phones effortlessly into the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra and all Xiaomi products. However, users can update this application using our other project, HyperOSUpdates.com, or using our MemeOS Enhancer application available on the Play Store. Users can also gain access to hidden features on Xiaomi using the MemeOS application once they install the MemeOS application on their device.

What is the Future of Foldables?

But it looks like the market for foldables experienced a bit of a “plateau” in Q4 2025 as shipments fell by 8% to 2.31 million units. Nevertheless, prospects for this year are positive as more than 10 million foldables have been shipped in China. Huawei is still a monolith in this space and has more than 70% market share when it comes to foldable phones. Other brands such as Honor, vivo, and OPPO are lagging behind but are expected to get a boost when more innovative designs such as triple-fold phones are priced more affordably.