China's mobile phone shipments near 32.3 million units

China’s mobile phone shipments surged 8.7% year-on-year to nearly 32.3 million units in October 2025, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

Around 90.9% of these shipments were 5G phones, nearing 29.3 million units, up 9.7% from a year earlier.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said China had topped 1.18 billion 5G mobile users by the end of October, a net gain of 170 million from the end of 2024, making up 64.7% of all mobile users.

The number of 5G base stations stood at about 4.8 million, up by 507,000 since last year, and now accounts for 37% of all mobile base stations.

China’s telecom revenues from January to October 2025 exceeded 1.5 trillion yuan (US$206 billion), a year-on-year rise of 0.9%.

🔗 Source: Xinhua

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Shipment growth hides a plateau in 5G buildout and weak telecom revenue

October shipments rose 8.7% year on year, yet China’s smartphone market fell 4.0% in Q2 2025 after six straight gains 1. The jump likely came from restocking or promotions, not a durable recovery.
About 507,000 new 5G base stations since last year lift the total to 4.8 million and 37% of all sites. The rollout now looks slower as penetration rises.
Telecom revenue rose 0.9% while 5G users grew by 170 million. Carriers are adding lines without lifting average revenue per user, a sign of tougher price fights and commoditized 5G service.

Suppliers and refurbishers should prep for higher replacements as about 640 million non-5G users face upgrade pressure

China counts 1.18 billion 5G users out of an estimated 1.82 billion mobile accounts, leaving about 640 million on 4G or older. Makers and supply chains can target this pool as network effects and app needs push upgrades.
In October, 5G phones made up 90.9% of shipments, so even budget models now ship with 5G. Trade-in platforms can reach price sensitive upgraders with better logistics and marketplaces.
Shipments of 29.3 million 5G phones in one month imply an annualized pace above 350 million units. That supports demand for 5G modems, RF parts, and advanced processors. Xiaomi and OPPO helped with early Xiaomi 17 and Find X9 launches 2.