According to data from research firm IDC, Apple was the only major manufacturer to witness a fall in smartphone shipments in China, which fell 9% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year.
With 9.8 million phones shipped, Apple, which is ranked fifth in China’s smartphone market, suffered a decline in market share to 13.7% from 17.4% in the previous quarter.
Apple saw a drop for the eighth consecutive quarter.
In contrast, industry-wide shipments increased 3.3%, while market leader Xiaomi experienced a 40% increase in shipments to 13.3 million.
According to Will Wong, an analyst at IDC, Apple’s premium pricing strategy has kept the American corporation from taking advantage of fresh government subsidies that were implemented in January and fueled first-quarter growth.
15% of products with a sticker price under 6,000 yuan ($820) are refunded to consumers through government subsidies for cellphones and some other consumer devices.