According to IDC's latest research, global smartphone shipments totaled 297 million units in Q2 2025, representing a 1.4% year-over-year increase. As the world's two major core markets, China and the US market performance drew significant attention. The top five vendors in China's Q2 market were Huawei, vivo, OPPO, Xiaomi-W, and Apple, with Apple being the only foreign vendor. Huawei reclaimed the top position after four years. The top five vendors in the US market were Apple, Samsung, Lenovo Group, Google, and TCL. Major US market vendors drove positive market growth through advance inventory building and AI technology integration. However, the early release of market demand in the first half may create pressure on growth expectations for the second half.

**China Market Boosted by Government Subsidies and "618" but Consumer Confidence Remains Weak**

China's Q2 market shipments declined 4.1% to 68.86 million units, ending six consecutive quarters of year-over-year growth. The market's development momentum was somewhat affected by interruptions in government subsidy program rollouts this quarter. The "national subsidy" program had limited impact on stimulating market demand. Although sales performance during the "618" e-commerce promotion period was impressive, similar to the national subsidies, vendors and channel partners primarily used this opportunity to clear inventory rather than increase shipments, with consumer confidence remaining weak.

China's top five vendors were Huawei, vivo, OPPO, Xiaomi-W, and Apple, with Apple being the only foreign vendor. Huawei reclaimed the top position after four years, highlighting its strong brand appeal. Vivo remained in second place. Xiaomi-W, with its broad customer base and focus on value-for-money positioning, performed impressively this quarter, becoming the only vendor among the top five to achieve positive growth. Apple narrowed its decline through strategic pricing adjustments that made specific iPhone 16 and 16 Pro versions eligible for government subsidies.

**US Market Grows 3.7% Overall with Significant Inventory Building Effects**

The US market grew 3.7% with shipments reaching 25.66 million units. The top five vendors were Apple, Samsung, Lenovo Group, Google, and TCL. To address tariff impacts, most US market vendors adopted advance inventory building strategies. Apple maintained its leading shipment share at 47.6%. After significantly increasing inventory in Q1, it maintained inventory levels in Q2 with shipments growing 14.8%, the fastest growth among the top five vendors.

Samsung also significantly increased inventory in Q2 while focusing its strategic emphasis on a "smart shipment" strategy, achieving 14.3% shipment growth. It introduced AI features to mid-range devices, effectively stimulating retail sales, with the new Galaxy A36 and A56 showing impressive performance. Lenovo Group (Motorola) continued its steady expansion in the US market with 2.4% year-over-year growth, maintaining its third position in US market shipment share.