Why Chinese consumers are once again interested in the iPhone

Apple is back on the rise in China

In China, Apple is making a comeback. According to the most recent data released by Counterpoint Research, a rather surprising 8% increase in iPhone sales year-over-year (i.e., compared to the same period last year) suggests that the brand may have succeeded, at least temporarily, in regaining growth in the Chinese market.
Sales of iPhones in China have increased for the first time in two years, according to data collected between April 1st and June 22nd. Counterpoint ascribes this success to Apple’s recent approach, which seems to have hit the mark in terms of drawing in Chinese customers during a significant business event: 618 Shopping Day, which is a local version of Black Friday and is led by the e-commerce site JD.com. When Apple Achieves Success in China…
As the analyst firm notes, Apple positioned some of its devices at more aggressive prices in May by making price adjustments on specific iPhone models in advance of the event.

Significant sales of the iPhone 16 were achieved in China as a result of a national smartphone subsidy program and the substantial discounts provided by the JD.com and Tmall platforms in particular.
Concurrently, we discovered that Apple had further boosted its sales in China by raising the value of trade-in credits for its older iPhone models. Both some iPhone models and a portion of the Mac lineup benefited from this initiative.

The shadow of local competition remains heavy for the American giant;

Apple is undoubtedly happy with the “rebound” in iPhone sales in China, but it’s likely that this strong sales performance won’t last long. In recent years, Apple has had difficulty establishing itself against regional competition.
For all but one quarter between the third quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2025, Apple’s revenue in China declined steadily year over year. This provides us with justification to consider the statistics provided by Counterpoint Research for the second quarter of 2025 from a slightly different angle.

This subpar performance is explained and even justified by a number of factors. These include pressure from Chinese regulators, the prohibition of iPhones in Chinese government agencies, the fierce competition among local smartphones, and the trade tensions between the United States and China. China is where almost two out of ten iPhones are sold.
To put things in perspective, as of the second quarter of 2025, Huawei had a 12% year-over-year increase in sales, outpacing all other Chinese manufacturers in terms of growth and market share.
Following Huawei, Vivo, the number two company in the Chinese market, saw a 9% drop in sales, and Apple, which is ranked third, is also under pressure from Xiaomi and Oppo in the entry-level and mid-range markets.
But Apple needs to stay in China. Since this market alone still accounts for 20% of all iPhone sales worldwide, the brand is at a loss for options.