The 2025 Mobile Phone Tripartite Battle: Xiaomi Raises Prices, Huawei Reclaims the Throne, Apple Drops the Act | 36Kr's Annual Perspective ②

The "Perspective" section specially planned the "36Kr Annual Summary" series at the end of the year, using data to analyze the annual trends in 2025 and presenting the unmissable highlights of this year's business world through pictures.

Author | Qiu Xiaofen

In 2025, the mobile phone industry witnessed a brutal reshuffle during the "super cycle" of soaring costs. When the costs of components generally increased by 10% - 25%, the market was divided by a red line of $600: the mid - and low - end markets faced a decline in the existing stock, while only the high - end market expanded against the trend with the help of AI and ecosystem.

Chart by 36Kr

Apple: No more holding back, even the base models get the "full package"

Facing the pursuit of domestic brands, Apple no longer held back. The base model of iPhone 17 stopped making incremental improvements. It unexpectedly filled in the core short - comings such as high - refresh rate, and its sales nearly doubled in China, becoming the absolute dominant force in October. Even though AI arrived late, Apple still maintained its position in the high - end market with the "down - to - earth" approach of its base models.

Chart by 36Kr

Huawei: After five years of tough fight, finally claimed the throne

Relying on a localization rate as high as 95% and the maturity of the HarmonyOS native ecosystem, Huawei completely regained its lost ground. At the end of November, the Mate 80 made a grand debut. Its sales soared by 16% in a single week and officially surpassed Apple in week 49, reclaiming the title of the best - selling brand in the Chinese market.

Xiaomi: The most advanced way of "raising prices" is high - end positioning

Xiaomi took the lead with the Xiaomi 17, and the sales of its Pro version exceeded the base version for the first time. Instead of getting entangled in parameters, it focused on the secondary screen design and the "full ecosystem of cars, homes, and mobile devices". Xiaomi's ASP (Average Selling Price) increased by 20%, making it the strongest dark horse in the high - end market.

Chart by 36Kr

The high - end market in China has formed a tripartite confrontation.

He who wins the high - end market wins the world. In 2026, the challenges will be even tougher.

Chart by 36Kr

The above is the content of our second issue.

Review the content of the first issue 👉10x growth, the world's most expensive company, and nearly 400 million users: 5 signals in the new AI era | 36Kr Annual Summary ①