Apple’s iPhone sales surged 38% in China, driven by a new affordable model and government subsidies after 18 months of decline.
Beijing: Apple’s business in China is thriving again. The tech giant said its China revenue grew 38 percent last quarter. This growth came after 18 months of falling sales.
CEO Tim Cook said Apple set a new record for iPhone upgrades among Chinese customers. Many people switched from other phones to Apple’s iPhone. Cook said it was a great quarter for Apple in China.
Many people were surprised by Apple’s success in China. Local brands like Huawei and Xiaomi had taken some of Apple’s market share. These companies make premium phones with good features that compete with the iPhone.
Apple succeeded by releasing a new iPhone that is both powerful and affordable. Even though some local phones have better cameras or more advanced features, many buyers chose Apple’s iPhone 17 line. This shows Chinese consumers value Apple’s brand and design while accepting smaller technical improvements.
The baseline iPhone 17 model helped Apple a lot in China. Usually, people buying new iPhones pick the more expensive Pro models. But in 2025, the regular iPhone 17 had many features only found in Pro phones before. This made more people want to upgrade their phones sooner.
The Chinese government also helped Apple sell more iPhones. They started a program offering discounts on electronics to help the economy. Phones costing less than $860 got up to a 15 percent discount. Apple priced the iPhone 17 at 5,999 RMB, making it eligible for the discount.
Many Chinese iPhone users were ready to upgrade their phones anyway. Apple’s last big sales came with the iPhone 13 series about three to four years ago. After that time, many users were ready to buy new phones.
Local phone brands are still doing well in China. Expensive phones from Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo are selling strongly. These brands are also seeing good growth, especially in their top-end models.