As of 2022, the penetration rate of smartphones in China reached almost 72 percent. According to the forecast, almost 83 percent of people in China are going to use a smartphone by 2027. The total number of smartphone users in 2022 exceeded one billion.

The master key

In Chinese everyday life, there is no way around not using a smartphone. Over the past decade, the smartphone has evolved from a communication device into not only a multi-tool but also the key to accessing everyday services. From paying for groceries and the restaurant bill to booking train tickets and managing personal finances. As more and more services are only available online, life without a smartphone has become increasingly difficult.

Technology exclusion and social isolation

Because of the growing significance of the smartphone, people without access to them or those unable to use them are at risk of being excluded from vital services and social interactions. These may include the elderly population, finding it difficult to adapt to the new technology. It could also be online applications without sufficient accessibility for persons with disability, and those who cannot afford to purchase a smartphone or live in regions without a comprehensive internet connection. Therefore, as the country moves online, inclusion must be a part of the development.

In 2022, the number of smartphone users in China amounted to almost **** billion. According to the forecast, the user number was expected to increase to around **** billion by 2026. With around *** billion people who use smartphones around the world, China accounts for over ** percent of total users. From copycats to global players Over the past decade, Chinese smartphone manufacturers evolved from cheap alternatives to established, global brands. At the beginning of the 2010s, the market was still dominated by traditional cell phone vendors like Nokia and Sony. Halfway through the decade, Chinese manufacturers like Huawei, Xiaomi, and OPPO entered the market. Aided by the popularity among domestic consumers, these brands became integral parts of the global industry. Like a Swiss army knife Along with user base growth, the significance of the smartphone in Chinese every day life increased as well. Today, Chinese citizens use the smartphone for everything. From paying for groceries using mobile payment services, ordering take out, to finding a taxi, all require smartphone. Furthermore, during the pandemic, the Chinese government introduced digital health codes to monitor the citizen’s risk status.

This statistic presents the smartphone user penetration rate (amongst mobile phone users) in China from 2013 to 2014 and also provides a forecast for the years 2015 to 2019. The forecast estimates that the smartphone penetration rate will reach about 53.3 percent by 2016.

China smartphone penetration – additional information

The number of smartphones sold worldwide has passed the one billion mark in 2014. More than one third of the world’s population is forecast to own a smartphone by 2017. China, one of the largest and fast-growing global economies, is anticipated to lead the global smartphone market, with over 30 percent of the share in 2017, followed by the U.S. with 12 percent.

In 2014, there were more than 480 million smartphone users in China. By 2019, this figure is forecast to total nearly 690 million. Smartphone users in China accounted for 43 percent of all mobile phone users in 2013. More than 60 percent of the Chinese mobile phone users are projected to use a smartphone by 2019. Smartphone users in China are fairly divided among genders. In 2014, 54 percent of the smartphone users in China were male and 46 were female. In terms of age, just over half of all smartphone users are young adults aged between 18 and 34 years old.

Samsung and Apple lead the smartphone market in China in 2015, with sales forecast to reach 65 million units and 36 million units, respectively. Google’s Android is the most popular operating system in China, with more than 70 percent of the share as of July 2015, followed by Apple’s iOS with nearly 25 percent.

This graph shows the annual penetration rate of smartphone users in China from 2011 to 2015. In 2012, about 27 percent of the adult population in China had used smartphones.

As of 2024, China reported having 14 million new mobile internet users, totaling 1.1 billion people having access to the internet via mobile devices. A mobile-first country Mobile internet refers to accessing the internet via any mobile device connected to a wireless network. China’s registered internet users account for one-fifth of the world’s total, and its mobile internet users almost doubled in the last decade. According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the share of Chinese users accessing the internet via mobile phone has already surpassed those via PC since 2014. Smartphone usage in China The rapid growth in smartphone and tablet user numbers has boosted mobile internet use in China. The projections indicate that over 80 percent of the Chinese population would possess a smartphone by 2026. Chinese users spent on average over seven hours each day on mobile internet. Short video apps and instant messaging were the most commonly visited services, accounting for 47 percent of the user time.

The graph shows the penetration rate of mobile phones in China from 2008 to 2013, with a forecast to 2018. In 2012, 82 percent of the Chinese population used a mobile phone.

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, Vivo accounted for the second-highest market share of smartphone shipments in China at **** percent. In the same observed period, Honor, a divested brand from Huawei since November 2020, gained significant market shares, while Huawei itself, leading player in this market by the end of 2020, has returned to the top five list after a two-year absence. Huawei made a comeback after the launch of the Mate 60 Pro, which took the industry by surprise.Development of the Chinese smartphone market Having contributed massively to the Chinese economy in the last decade, the smartphone industry has been a rather successful industry in China for a long time. This success has even started to spread overseas, mainly from the leading vendors Huawei, OPPO and Xiaomi. Since 2011, the number of smartphone shipments in China has steadily increased, reaching over *** million units in 2016 at the highest ever shipment. However, the figure dropped slightly since 2017, and continue to below *** million units from 2018. Despite this decline, more smartphones were sold in China than in any other country in the world. Smartphones in ChinaChina is a country where the smartphone is the key to every-day life. In 2014, there were ***** million smartphone users in China. By 2022, this figure reached over *********** and was subsequently expected to exceed *********** users by 2027. In terms of operating systems, Google’s Android holds around ** percent of the market share, whereas Apple’s iOS accounts for about ** percent of the smartphone operating system market in China. Despite the relatively easier access to cheap smartphones in the market, Chinese consumers still considered the practicalities, namely the internal memory and processor, as the most importantly factor when buying a phone, even much more than the price level and photo qualities.

The number of smartphone users in China was forecast to increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 357.5 million users (+41.6 percent). This overall increase does not happen continuously, notably not in 2029. The smartphone user base is estimated to amount to 1.2 billion users in 2029. Notably, the number of smartphone users of was continuously increasing over the past years.Smartphone users here are limited to internet users of any age using a smartphone. The shown figures have been derived from survey data that has been processed to estimate missing demographics.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

The population share with mobile internet access in China was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 25.4 percentage points. After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the mobile internet penetration is estimated to reach 85.37 percent and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the population share with mobile internet access of was continuously increasing over the past years.The penetration rate refers to the share of the total population having access to the internet via a mobile broadband connection.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

According to the result of a survey conducted by the Mobile Ecosystem Forum in the end of 2019, about 15 percent of smartphone users in China were above 45 years old, which was one of the highest rates among the ten countries surveyed.

In 2024, around **** percent of internet users in China used mobile phones to go online. The number of mobile internet users increased by ** million users to over *** billion.

In 2024, vivo and Huawei accounted for the highest market share of the Chinese smartphone market with a share of over 16 percent. In 2021, Huawei lost its leading position after the company was subjected U.S. trade restrictions. The rise of Huawei  Back in 2014, the competition in the smartphone market in China was fierce with both domestic brands and foreign brands like Samsung and Apple. Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo have become the largest players in the market with a total combined market share of over 50%. Additionally, Huawei’s brand recognition has spread to other parts of the world. In the first quarter of 2012, the smartphone shipments of Huawei only accounted for around three percent globally, but the market share of Huawei has diappeared. Global shipments of Huawei devices have also vanished, from slightly over 107 million units in 2015 to almost nothing in 2023. While the company has not made a comeback to to global smartphone market yet, it has been one of the most successful companies in China. Chinese smartphone market  Since 2011, the volume of smartphone shipments in China has steadily increased, reaching over 460 million units in 2016 at the highest ever shipment. However, the figure dropped slightly in 2017 and even fell below 400 million units in 2018 and 2019, parallel to the economic downturn worldwide and demonstrating the slowing down of Chinese economic growth. However, due to the largest population in the world, more smartphones were sold in China than in any other country.

As of 2024, Vivo accounted for the highest market share of the Chinese smartphone market at **** percent. In that year, After a three-year absence, Huawei has returned to the top-tier smartphone market after the release of several popular models. The rise of HuaweiBack in 2014, the smartphone market in China was decentralized, with various domestic brands and major international brands like Samsung and Apple all accounting for only around one tenth of the market. During the last few years, the market became more concentrated with three domestic brands, namely Huawei, Vivo, and Oppo. The latter two belong to the same consumer electronic technology company BKK, while Huawei claimed to be a privately owned independent corporation. The three brands have dominated the Chinese smartphone market with a total market share of over ** percent since 2018. Among the three, Huawei made a huge jump in market share from 2017 to 2019, almost doubling its market share from ** percent to ** percent. However, over the course of the trade disputes between China and the United States, the company was affected by sanctions which impacted its smartphone division. Chinese smartphone market  As the largest smartphone market in the world, the volume of smartphone shipments in China has been steadily increasing since 2011, with shipments once peaking over *** million units in 2016. However, the figure started dropping in 2017 and even fell below *** million units in 2018, parallel to the economic downturn worldwide and demonstrating the slowing down of the Chinese economic growth. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak in the beginning of 2020, the smartphone shipment in China was estimated to have dipped in the first two quarters but would begin to recover again in the rest of the year.

China is leading the ranking by number of smartphone users, recording ****** million users. Following closely behind is India with ****** million users, while Seychelles is trailing the ranking with **** million users, resulting in a difference of ****** million users to the ranking leader, China. Smartphone users here are limited to internet users of any age using a smartphone. The shown figures have been derived from survey data that has been processed to estimate missing demographics.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

In the fourth quarter of 2024, around ** million smartphones were shipped in China, up *** percent year-on-year. Smartphone market in China Since 2011, the number of smartphone shipments in China has steadily increased, reaching over *** million units in 2022. In 2019, China was responsible for almost ** percent of the smartphone shipments worldwide. The country is forecast to maintain its leadership, despite the recent hiccups in shipment volume. Smartphone users in China Around 61 percent of the Chinese mobile phone users are expected to use a smartphone by 2023. In 2022, there were one billion smartphone users in China. By 2027, this figure is expected to almost reach the **** billion unit mark. Smartphone manufacturers in China Huawei, the leading local smartphone brand, once made the most smartphone shipments in the Chinese market. At its highest in 2019, the company shipped over *** million units. However, Huawei was the only vendor which managed to lose large shares of the shipment volume, while Oppo and Vivo were both gaining in market share. In terms of operating systems, Google’s Android holds more than ** percent of the market share, whereas Apple’s iOS accounts for about ** percent of the smartphone operating system market in China.

In 2022, the shipment volume of smartphones in China amounted to around *** million units, a ** percent decrease from the year prior. Smartphone usageIn 2022, the number of smartphones sold worldwide experienced a slight dip, with about *** billion units sold. In the same year, over two-thirds of the world’s population had access to a smartphone, as the global smartphone penetration rate passed the ** percent mark. By that time, more than ** percent of Chinese mobile phone users will be using a smartphone, as the number of smartphone users in China is estimated to reach *** billion by 2027. Smartphone shipment developmentIn 2015, China surpassed the United States as the leading smartphone market in terms of shipments, which continue to rise to the peak at more than *** million units in 2016. Since then, the economic slowdown started to hit China, leading to the smartphone shipment volume in China falling for around 100 million units in a few years. Almost all all smartphone vendors in China were severely affected, especially for the formerly biggest Chinese player Huawei, which lost its market position completeylost its market position completey.

As of March 2025, there were almost 1.8 billion mobile cell phone subscriptions in China. According to official government statistics, the country had a penetration rate of 99.8 percent for mobile internet. It becomes clear, therefore, why the Chinese economy and society reached such a high degree of digitalization. Completely state-run The backbone of the mobile network is an efficient communications network. In China, three state-owned telecommunication companies are responsible for the construction and maintenance of the national cellular network. Together with the government, China Unicom, China Mobile, and China Telecom also built the country’s 5G infrastructure. In 2023, the three enterprises invested almost of 150 billion yuan in next-generation mobile internet technology. Digital multitool In China, smartphones have become a central tool in everyday life. Recently, mobile payments have slowly replaced cash and cards, with e-commerce revolutionizing shopping behavior for millions of Chinese consumers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mobile phone has become a crucial tool for public health. Citizens are required to carry a health code on their phone which shows how much the risk exposure of a person is depending on proximity to coronavirus infections.

According to a survey conducted between December 2018 to March 2019, approximately 78.5 percent of surveyed primary school students in China were exposed to electronic devices before aged ten - the highest among students from other education levels. Around 27.1 percent of primary school students had their own smartphones before the forth grade.

In 2021, the penetration rate of 5G smartphones in China was projected to reach 80 percent. 5G capable smartphones were first introduced to the Chinese market in 2019, quickly increasing in popularity. The new network technology has been well received by Chinese consumers.

China's internet population is aging. About a quarter of the mobile internet users were above 50 years old, as per data in December 2024. While younger netizens are more interested in topics related to celebrity and animation, those aged over 50 prefer informative and educational content.