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China has emerged as the brightest spot in Apple’s quarterly earnings, as the US tech giant achieved record iPhone revenue in the world’s largest smartphone market.
Revenue in Apple’s Greater China region, which comprises mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, surged 38 per cent from a year earlier in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, which ended December 27, the Cupertino-based company said on Friday.
That growth, more than double the company’s overall 16 per cent quarterly revenue increase, also marked Apple’s strongest performance in China since late 2021.
“It was the best iPhone quarter in history in Greater China,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during an earnings call. He attributed the performance to “customer enthusiasm for the iPhone 17 line-up”.
During the quarter, traffic in Apple stores in China grew by strong double digits from a year earlier, while the company’s installed base reached an all-time high in both Greater China and mainland China, according to Cook, who described the past quarter as “terrific”.
The latest sales surge reflects how Apple’s efforts in the world’s largest smartphone market have paid off, despite sluggish consumer sentiment in the domestic market, as well as mounting pressure on the consumer-electronics supply chain from a memory-chip shortage.
Apple’s sharp recovery in China was “the most surprising result”, after the company experienced several quarters of declines due to “aggressive competition from domestic brands like Huawei”, said Francisco Jeronimo, vice-president of client devices at market researcher IDC.
Apple’s performance last quarter reflected “a robust super cycle driven by unprecedented demand for the iPhone 17 line-up, a strong resurgence in the China market, and the continued scaling of high-margin services”, Jeronimo said.
Apple shipped 16 million units to command a 21 per cent share of the mainland market in the fourth quarter, according to IDC data. For all of 2025, Apple accounted for 16.2 per cent of the market with 46.2 million units shipped, trailing closely behind Huawei Technologies, which shipped 46.7 million units for a 16.4 per cent share.
The iPhone maker could receive a further boost in China after launching a new campaign over the weekend, offering a 2,000 yuan (US$283) markdown for the iPhone Air on the Tmall e-commerce site, as well as up to a 300 yuan discount for the iPhone 16 line-up on Apple’s official website. Tmall is owned by Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the SCMP.
The iPhone continues to perform well globally. In 2025, the iPhone 16 was the world’s bestselling smartphone, with Apple models taking seven of the top 10 spots, according to Counterpoint Research.
“The iPhone 17 series achieved 16 per cent higher sales than the predecessor series during its first full quarter in the market, driven by strong initial demand in key markets such as the US, China and western Europe,” said Harshit Rastogi, an analyst at Counterpoint.


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Sharp recovery is a ‘most surprising result’ amid ‘aggressive competition from domestic brands like Huawei’, IDC analyst says


Sharp recovery is a ‘most surprising result’ amid ‘aggressive competition from domestic brands like Huawei’, IDC analyst says.


Apple

Tim Cook

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Huawei Technologies

China gives Apple ‘best iPhone quarter in history’ with 38% revenue growth

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Sharp recovery is a ‘most surprising result’ amid ‘aggressive competition from domestic brands like Huawei’, IDC analyst says

Sharp recovery is a ‘most surprising result’ amid ‘aggressive competition from domestic brands like Huawei’, IDC analyst says