QuestMobile 2025 China Smartphone Market Insights Report: Government subsidies drive a wave of phone replacements, and the proportion of mid - to high - end models rises simultaneously. AI technology propels smartphones to become the "central hub".

Today, I'd like to share some insights into the smartphone market in 2025. Stimulated by the national subsidy, the smartphone market in the first half of the year witnessed a boom in the launch of new models and sales. In particular, domestic smartphone brands saw a comprehensive increase in the number of active devices. According to QuestMobile data, as of June 2025, the number of active devices of Huawei, Apple, OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, and Honor reached 288 million, 271 million, 233 million, 193 million, 121 million, and 97 million respectively, with year - on - year growth rates of 2.2%, 1.2%, 1.1%, 6.3%, 0.5%, and 8.6% respectively.

Overall, the proportion of models priced above 3,000 yuan increased by 1.6% compared with the same period last year, indicating the popularity of mid - to - high - end smartphones. This is closely related to the enhanced purchasing power brought by the "national subsidy". In fact, driven by policy dividends and the 618 shopping festival, the "mobile phone replacement wave" continued to surge, and mobile phone replacement assistant apps also reached a peak in monthly active users. In June, the monthly active users of Mobile Phone Replacement Assistant, Phone Clone, and Move to iOS apps reached 71.41 million, 67.11 million, and 21.11 million respectively, with year - on - year growth rates of 17.7%, 23.2%, and 40.7% respectively.

In order to attract more users' attention, smartphone brands continued to innovate in the first half of the year. They tried to boost sales among specific consumer groups by focusing on areas such as the implementation of AI functions, large - sensor long - focal - length imaging, innovation in foldable screens, and multi - device collaboration.

Among these trends, the application of AI has become a key battleground for smartphone brands. On the one hand, brands have moved from simply offering AI apps to deeply integrating AI technology into the native services of mobile phones, which has led to an increase in user activity. On the other hand, brands are also striving to transform mobile phones into the core control centers for smart home devices and smart cars, enabling cross - device integration, interconnection of wearable devices, and connection between cars and homes.

In terms of user profiles, domestic brands have entered a phase of refined competition. For example, Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo are fiercely competing for young users. As of June, the proportions of users under 24 years old for these three brands were 35.2%, 32.8%, and 40.7% respectively, with year - on - year growth rates of 5.3%, 3.2%, and 4.8% respectively...

How is the specific situation? Let's take a look at the report.

The upgrade of the national subsidy policy and the 618 shopping festival effectively stimulated user demand, leading to a mobile phone replacement boom in January and June

1. At the beginning of the year, the national subsidy policy advanced consumer demand, advancing the overall market shipment schedule. The number of newly launched models increased, providing consumers with more choices.

2. The number of active devices of domestic mobile phone brands increased across the board. Huawei further consolidated its leading position in the market, and the growth rates of vivo and Honor were more prominent.

According to QuestMobile data, the number of active devices of domestic brands Huawei, OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, and Honor reached 288 million, 233 million, 193 million, 121 million, and 97 million respectively, with year - on - year growth rates of 2.2%, 1.1%, 6.3%, 0.5%, and 8.6% respectively.

3. The competition for young users has become extremely fierce. Brands are not only trying to expand their user base but also retain existing customers. The proportion of Xiaomi users under 24 years old increased by 5.3% year - on - year. The proportions of female users of Huawei and male users of vivo increased, and OPPO continued to capture the hearts of female users.

4. Consumer enthusiasm for mid - to - high - end smartphones increased. The proportion of models priced above 3,000 yuan increased by 1.6 percentage points compared with the same period last year.

5. Driven by the traditional mobile phone replacement wave before the Spring Festival, policy dividends, and the 618 e - commerce shopping festival, the user traffic of mobile phone replacement assistant apps reached peaks in January and June respectively.

6. More than half of Apple users who replaced their phones continued to repurchase Apple products. Huawei is the main brand that Apple users switch to. The two brands continue to compete for high - end market share. The proportion of OPPO users who replaced their phones with the same brand reached 45%.

7. In the first half of 2025, the strategic actions of each brand focused on the practical application of AI, breakthroughs in imaging, innovation in foldable screen forms, and ecological collaboration.

The smartphone market shows a development trend of AI integration and ecologicalization

1. The AI capabilities of smartphones have entered the native stage. The operating system is deeply integrating AI technology, driving the evolution of natural interaction and scenario - based intelligent functions.

2. AI technology has been deeply applied in core fields such as image beautification, text creation, and efficiency improvement, and is accelerating its penetration into high - frequency scenarios in users' daily lives.

3. In 2025, new models in all price segments showed a more diverse AI application ecosystem, and AI functions were more powerful. Budget phones focused on deepening vertical scenarios. For example, the new Redmi models strengthened AI gaming functions, and the Huawei Enjoy 70X improved communication security.

4. In 2025, the competition among mobile phone manufacturers' AI assistants has shifted from perfecting basic functions to technology iteration, ecological integration, and scenario - based services.

5. As the core control center for smart home devices and smart cars, the traffic on the mobile phone APP side continued to grow explosively. At the same time, the penetration rate of the car - home interconnection scenario also increased rapidly.

6. Huawei and Xiaomi gave full play to their ecological advantages, promoting in - depth interconnection and collaboration among smart devices.

Huawei successively launched native HarmonyOS phones, computers, tablets and other devices, aiming to build a seamless cross - device experience. Xiaomi launched AI glasses, creating a new mobile ecological entrance for interaction with smart homes and cars.

7. The ability of ecological interconnection has become a core competitiveness in the field of smart devices. Huawei and Xiaomi users showed significant preferences for cross - category collaboration, achieving unified control of mobile phones, smart homes, wearable devices, and smart cars. Ecological bundling enhanced user loyalty.

Brands increased their marketing investment. E - sports marketing and sports marketing helped brands expand their influence among young people

1. With the intensification of market competition, mobile phone brands continued to increase their marketing investment. Both hard and soft advertisements were the focus of increased investment.

2. During the 618 e - commerce shopping festival, major mobile phone brands attracted consumers through various strategies such as price cuts and new model launches. For example, after the price of the iPhone 16 Pro was reduced to within the range of the national subsidy, its popularity increased rapidly. The launch of the OPPO Reno14 series of new models sparked users' enthusiasm for discussion.

3. Generation Z users still focus on the mainstream price range of 1,000 - 3,000 yuan when choosing mobile phones. At the same time, the trend of consumption upgrading is significant. The proportion of models priced above 3,000 yuan increased by 1.4% year - on - year, showing a strong preference for Xiaomi and vivo brands.

4. E - sports marketing remains an important means for mobile