Apple vs BYD: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Apple reported $416.2B of revenue in FY2025 and $112B of net income. BYD reported ~$111.8B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$4.5B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
Apple
Apple's fiscal 2025 results describe a hardware business with software margins. Net sales rose 6 percent to $416.2 billion, net income reached $112.0 billion, and total gross margin was 46.9 percent, split between 36.8 percent on Products and 75.4 percent on Services. Services revenue of $109.2 billion, up 14 percent, is the reason the blended margin keeps rising. Cash generation is the other defining feature: operations produced $111.5 billion in fiscal 2025, and Apple returned $89.3 billion through share repurchases and $15.4 billion in dividends, after announcing a new repurchase authorization of up to $100 billion and raising the quarterly dividend to $0.26 per share in May 2025. Research and development came to $34.6 billion, 8 percent of net sales, and cash plus marketable securities stood at $132.4 billion at year end.
BYD
BYD's revenue grew more than fivefold in five years, from ~$21.8 billion (CN¥156.6 billion) in 2020 to ~$112 billion (CN¥803.96 billion) in 2025, as its new energy vehicle sales rose to 4.6 million units. Profit peaked in 2024 at about $5.59 billion (CN¥40.2 billion) and fell 19% in 2025 to ~$4.53 billion (CN¥32.62 billion) attributable to shareholders, BYD's first annual decline in four years, which the company linked to product mix changes and a lower gross margin. Gross margin slipped from 19.1% in 2024 to 17.5% in 2025. The first half of 2026 brought revenue of ~$47.9 billion (CN¥344.8 billion) (down 7.1%) and net profit of ~$1.71 billion (CN¥12.3 billion) (down 20.5%), although second-quarter profit rose year on year for the first time in five quarters on record exports. Overseas revenue of ~$25.2 billion (CN¥181.3 billion) overtook revenue from China for the first time.
Revenue and profit by year
Apple
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $416.2B | $112B | 26.9% | +6.4% | Source |
| FY2024 | $391B | $93.7B | 24.0% | +2.0% | Source |
| FY2023 | $383.3B | $97B | 25.3% | -2.8% | Source |
| FY2022 | $394.3B | $99.8B | 25.3% | +7.8% | Source |
| FY2021 | $365.8B | $94.7B | 25.9% | +33.3% | Source |
| FY2020 | $274.5B | $57.4B | 20.9% | +5.5% | Source |
| FY2019 | $260.2B | $55.3B | 21.2% | -2.0% | Source |
| FY2018 | $265.6B | $59.5B | 22.4% | +15.9% | Source |
| FY2017 | $229.2B | $48.4B | 21.1% | +6.3% | Source |
| FY2016 | $215.6B | $45.7B | 21.2% | — | Source |
BYD
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$111.8B | ~$4.5B | 4.0% | +3.5% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$108B | ~$5.6B | 5.2% | +29.0% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$83.7B | ~$4.2B | 5.0% | +42.0% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$58.9B | ~$2.3B | 3.9% | +96.2% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$30B | ~$420.6M | 1.4% | +38.0% | Source |
| FY2020 | ~$21.8B | ~$588M | 2.7% | +22.6% | Source |
| FY2019 | ~$17.8B | ~$223.8M | 1.3% | -1.8% | Source |
| FY2018 | ~$18.1B | ~$386.4M | 2.1% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Apple
- iPhone~50%
iPhone net sales were $209.6B in FY2025, up 4%, and the phone is the entry point into Services, accessories, AppleCare, iCloud and App Store spending.
- Services~26%
Services covers the App Store, advertising, cloud, AppleCare, payments, media subscriptions and licensing. FY2025 net sales were $109.2B, up 14%, at a 75.4% gross margin against 36.8% for Products.
- Mac and iPad~15%
Mac net sales were $33.7B and iPad $28.0B in FY2025, driven by Apple silicon refreshes, education, creative work and enterprise adoption.
- Wearables, Home and Accessories~9%
Apple Watch, AirPods, Vision Pro, home devices and accessories were $35.7B in FY2025, down 4%, and they deepen iPhone attachment.
BYD
- Automobiles and related products~81%
Sales of BYD, Denza, Fangchengbao and Yangwang passenger cars, buses and trucks, plus related products such as batteries and energy storage. The segment produced ~$90.2 billion (CN¥648.6 billion) in FY2025 and ~$38.3 billion (CN¥275.3 billion) (79.9% of revenue) in the first half of 2026.
- Mobile handset components and assembly~19%
Contract manufacturing and assembly of phones, tablets, smart car components and other devices, mainly through BYD Electronic. The segment produced ~$21.6 billion (CN¥155.2 billion) in FY2025, and electronics revenue rose 1.0% to ~$9.65 billion (CN¥69.4 billion) in the first half of 2026.
Business model and strategy
Apple
How it makes money
Apple sells hardware at premium prices and keeps the software, distribution and payment layers on top of it. The iPhone is the entry point, at $209.6 billion of fiscal 2025 net sales, and it pulls customers into iOS, iCloud storage plans, App Store purchases, AppleCare and accessories.
Growth strategy
Growth now comes from monetizing an installed base of more than 2.5 billion devices rather than from unit growth alone. Services rose 14 percent to $109.2 billion in fiscal 2025 on the App Store, advertising, iCloud, AppleCare, payments and subscription media, and Apple packages them through the Apple One bundle.
Competitive advantage
Apple's advantage comes from owning the parts other phone makers buy. It designs its own silicon, the A20 Pro in iPhone 18 Pro and the M5 in Mac and iPad Pro, plus the operating systems, the app store, the payment layer and the retail channel, so hardware, software and services are tuned to each other.
BYD
How it makes money
BYD earns most of its revenue by designing, building and selling passenger cars under the BYD (Dynasty and Ocean series), Denza, Fangchengbao and Yangwang brands, along with buses, trucks, batteries and energy storage systems. Its automobiles and related products segment produced ~$90.2 billion (CN¥648.6 billion) in FY2025, about 81% of group revenue.
Growth strategy
BYD's growth plan has three parts. First, build locally abroad: plants in Thailand, Uzbekistan and Camaçari, Brazil are producing cars, Hungary is due to start series production in the fourth quarter of 2026, and a Turkish plant was paused in June 2026 while BYD concentrates on Europe. Second, move upmarket through Denza, Fangchengbao and Yangwang, which sell at higher prices than core BYD models.
Competitive advantage
BYD's advantage is cost control from owning its supply chain. It makes its own LFP Blade battery cells, motors, electronic controls and power chips, so it can sell a Seagull hatchback from around CN¥70,000 in China and still run a profitable car business, and it can put new technology such as the second-generation Blade Battery and FLASH charging into many models at once.
Questions about Apple vs BYD
Which company has higher revenue — Apple Inc. or BYD Company Ltd?
Apple Inc. reported $416.2B (FY2025), while BYD Company Ltd reported ~$111.8B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Apple Inc. is the larger business, with BYD Company Ltd reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of Apple Inc. vs BYD Company Ltd?
Apple Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $4.98T, while BYD Company Ltd's is $113.4B. Apple Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to BYD Company Ltd.
Which is more financially efficient — Apple Inc. or BYD Company Ltd?
Apple Inc. generates $2.51M / employee in revenue per employee, while BYD Company Ltd generates $123k / employee. Apple Inc. shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Apple Inc. and BYD Company Ltd make money?
Apple Inc. and BYD Company Ltd generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Apple Inc.: Apple sells hardware at premium prices and keeps the software, distribution and payment layers on top of it. BYD Company Ltd: BYD earns most of its revenue by designing, building and selling passenger cars under the BYD (Dynasty and Ocean series), Denza, Fangchengbao and Yangwang brands, along with buses, trucks, batteries and energy storage systems.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Apple Inc. or BYD Company Ltd?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Apple Inc. trades at 12.0x P/S and BYD Company Ltd at 1.0x P/S. Apple Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to BYD Company Ltd. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Apple Inc. bigger than BYD Company Ltd?
By last reported revenue, Apple Inc. ($416.2B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to BYD Company Ltd (~$111.8B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Apple vs BYD overview