Xin Lang Cai Jing·2026-01-22 01:23Core Insights - The top three smartphone brands in China by activation volume in 2025 are vivo, Xiaomi, and Apple, with vivo maintaining the first position despite a slight decline in activation volume [1][5] - Xiaomi surpassed Apple to claim the second position, largely due to the success of the Xiaomi 17 series, which includes models with activation volumes exceeding one million [2][6] - The activation volume gap between the top five brands is minimal, with less than 3 million units separating vivo from Huawei, indicating a highly competitive market where a single popular model can significantly influence brand rankings [1][5] Brand Performance Summary - Vivo: Ranked first with an activation volume of 4,635.70 thousand units, a market share of 16.77%, and a year-on-year decline of 2.58% from 4,758.52 thousand units in 2024 [2][6] - Xiaomi: Ranked second with an activation volume of 4,588.45 thousand units, a market share of 16.60%, and a year-on-year growth of 5.41% from 4,352.78 thousand units in 2024 [2][6] - Apple: Ranked third with an activation volume of 4,520.65 thousand units, a market share of 16.35%, and a year-on-year growth of 9.34% from 4,134.30 thousand units in 2024 [2][6] - OPPO: Ranked fourth with an activation volume of 4,399.58 thousand units, a market share of 15.91%, and a year-on-year growth of 7.63% from 4,087.78 thousand units in 2024 [2][6] - Huawei: Ranked fifth with an activation volume of 4,340.02 thousand units, a market share of 15.70%, and a year-on-year decline of 0.96% from 4,382.18 thousand units in 2024 [2][6] - Others: The remaining brands collectively accounted for 5,164.91 thousand units, with a market share of 18.68% and a year-on-year decline of 8.93% from 5,671.15 thousand units in 2024 [2][6] Market Dynamics - The competition among the top brands is extremely tight, with minor differences in activation volumes leading to significant shifts in rankings [5][9] - The timing of new product launches, such as the Huawei Mate 80 series, can greatly impact market standings, suggesting that strategic release schedules are crucial for maintaining competitive positions [5][8] - Xiaomi's Lu Weibing emphasized the intense competition in the Chinese market, indicating that the leading positions are very fragile and require continuous effort to maintain [9]