Sales of foreign-branded smartphones in China, including Apple Inc.’s (AAPL.O) iPhones, saw a slight increase in April, according to data released Friday by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), a government-affiliated research body.
Based on CAICT figures, shipments of foreign-branded phones rose to 3.52 million units last month, compared to 3.50 million in April 2024.
As China’s top foreign smartphone brand, Apple’s performance heavily influences the overall market trends. The modest growth in April follows a challenging first quarter in which Apple’s iPhone sales in China fell by 9%.
To counter growing pressure from local competitors, Apple has turned to aggressive pricing strategies. Earlier this month, major Chinese e-commerce platforms offered discounts of up to 2,530 yuan (approximately $351) on Apple’s latest iPhone 16 models in a bid to drive demand.
