Cheap “me-too” smartphones are no longer the only thing Apple can blame for iPhone’s falling sales in China as the country’s most successful manufacturers are quietly gaining ground in the premium market as well.

Apple, which has long dominated China’s top 10 bestselling high-end smartphone list, saw the most number of Chinese rivals break into the category priced over 4,000 yuan (US$579.9) in the quarter ended in March.

Apple still occupies five spots in the top 10 list with its iPhone 7 Plus 128G being the top seller among all premium smartphones in China, the world largest smartphone market. However, four Chinese models – three from Huawei Technologies and one by Vivo – have made it into the list with one spot left for Samsung Electronics.

Data from IDC showed that it ranked fourth in the China market in the first quarter with 9.2 per cent market share compared with 11 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2016.

“But we believe that Chinese consumers are holding out for the launch of Apple’s 10-year anniversary iPhone at the end of the year, and this will help Apple to see a rebound in the China smartphone market,” said Tay Xiaohan, a senior market analyst with IDC Asia-Pacific.

Source: scmp