The latest trends in the mobile phone industry in 2025

A comprehensive review of the latest developments in the mobile phone industry in 2025, covering key areas such as market structure, technology trends, product innovation and policy impact:

📊 ​​1. Market structure: Huawei leads, domestic manufacturers collectively rise​​

Huawei returns to the top​​

China market share​​: In Q1 2025, Huawei ranked first with a 20% share, leading for two consecutive quarters, setting a new high since 2021. The reservation volume of the main model Mate 70 series exceeded 6.7 million units, the Pura 70 series continued to sell well, and the high-end market increased by 32% year-on-year.

Global growth​​: The annual shipment growth rate is expected to reach 11%, ranking first among major global manufacturers. Supply chain recovery and self-developed chip breakthroughs are the core driving forces.

Xiaomi is closely behind​​
Market share 19%, Q1 shipments 13.3 million units. The high-end strategy has achieved remarkable results. The sales of Xiaomi 15 Pro increased by 17% compared with the previous generation. At the same time, ecological synergy (such as SU7 car) drives brand premium.
​​OPPO/vivo/Honor compete fiercely​​
OPPO (16%) and vivo (15%) ranked third and fourth, with AI strategy and mid-range models (such as the vivo Y series) supporting their market share.
Honor's overseas sales accounted for more than 50%, and a new phone with a 7800mAh large battery will be released soon.
​​Apple continues to be under pressure​​
China's market ranking fell to fifth (13% share), and Q1 shipments fell 8% year-on-year. The high-price strategy conflicted with the subsidy policy (limited to models below 6,000 yuan), and the sales of Pro models suffered setbacks.
⚙️ ​​2. Technology trends: AI is fully penetrated, and hardware innovation is accelerated​​
​​AI mobile phones are growing explosively​​
​​Penetration rate soars​​: China's AI mobile phone penetration rate will jump from 22% in 2024 to over 40%, and IDC expects shipments to reach 118 million units in 2025 (a year-on-year increase of 59.8%).
​​Function implementation​​: End-side AI realizes real-time translation, image optimization (such as Honor's "King Image" system), and privacy protection (such as AI Blue Army Robot Verification System).
​​Breakthrough in folding screen and tri-fold form​​
​​Technology upgrade​​: Transsion Infinix and Samsung showcase vertical tri-fold mobile phones, and OPPO Find N5 debuts at MWC 2025 as the world's thinnest folding flagship.
​​Market expansion​​: IDC predicts that China's folding screen shipments will reach 10 million units in 2025 (an increase of 8.3% year-on-year), with a compound growth rate of 10.6% before 2028.
​​Battery and charging innovation​​
​​Application of silicon-carbon batteries​​: Honor Qinghai Lake battery uses porous carbon skeleton technology, and the capacity is increased by 30% at the same volume; the battery capacity of vivo's new machine may exceed 7000mAh.
​​Fast charging ecology​​: OPPO plans to expand high-power flash charging to headphones, watches and other devices. ​​Satellite communication is becoming more popular. Huawei Mate 70 supports satellite paging, and MediaTek promotes 5G-Advanced satellite chips. After the technology cost is reduced, it is expected to cover mid-range models.
📱 ​​Third, product innovation: MWC 2025 becomes China's technology show.

Flagship new products compete.

Xiaomi 15 Ultra: MWC debut, equipped with "Xiaomi module optical system", imaging capabilities are upgraded.

Honor Magic7 series: end-cloud collaborative AI computing photography system "AI light control engine", won more than 50 media awards.

Concept machine leads the future.

Lenovo ThinkBook Flip: The world's first folding screen AI PC concept machine, supporting solar charging.

Tecno SPARK Slim: Only 5.75mm thick (the thinnest in the industry), built-in 5200mAh battery.
🏛️ ​​Fourth, policies and channels: Subsidies stimulate short-term growth, long-term reliance on innovation​​
​​National subsidy policies have significant effects​​
Q1 government subsidies promoted a 50% year-on-year increase in mobile phone sales during the Spring Festival, and sales in Hunan, Anhui and other places doubled month-on-month.
​​Hidden concerns​​: Subsidies may overdraw future demand, and Counterpoint expects the stimulus effect to fade in the second half of the year.
​​Channel structure reconstruction​​
Head manufacturers accelerate the expansion of brand stores (such as Xiaomi's 16,000 offline stores), and e-commerce platforms and large retailers consolidate their share.
🔮 ​​Five, future challenges and opportunities​​
​​Competition focus​​:
​​AI ecosystem​​: Harmony OS's share will exceed 20%, and Android accelerates compatibility with iOS ecosystem to compete for "second mobile phone" users.
​​Overseas acceleration​​: Domestic manufacturers turn to Southeast Asia (growth rate exceeds 35%) and Latin American markets, and OPPO's shipments in Latin America have increased significantly.
​​Risk warning​​:
Economic slowdown and trade friction (such as the US tariff policy that has led to a downward adjustment of global growth expectations to 1.9%) may suppress the market.
​​💎 Summary​​: In 2025, the mobile phone industry will present three main themes: "AI popularization, form diversification, and domestic high-end". Policy dividends and the replacement cycle will drive a short-term recovery, but long-term growth will rely on hardware innovation (such as tri-fold screens, silicon-carbon batteries) and ecological synergy (car-machine interconnection, full-scenario AI). The domestic camp led by Huawei is reshaping the global landscape, and Apple needs to adjust its strategy to cope with the squeeze in the mid-to-high-end market.