In China, shipments of foreign-branded smartphones, such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone, increased by 0.6% in December compared to the previous year, according to data released on Friday by a government-affiliated research firm.
Based on data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), foreign-branded phone shipments in China reached 3.74 million units in December, up from 3.72 million units a year earlier.
Apple, the leading foreign phone provider in China's smartphone market, greatly influences the overall data on foreign-branded phone shipments in the country.
The overall phone sales in China saw a 22.1% increase, totaling 34.53 million units in December, as per CAICT data.