BEIJING, May 28 Reuters Apple39;s smartphone shipments in China were 52 higher in April than a year ago, extending a rebound seen in the previous month, according to data from a research firm affiliated the Chinese government.

Shipments of foreignbranded phones in China increased by 52 in April to 3.495 million units from 2.301 million a year earlier, data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology CAICT showed on Tuesday.

Although the data did not explicitly mention Apple, the company is the dominant foreign phone maker in China39;s smartphonedominated market. This suggests that the increase in foreignbranded shipments can be attributed to Apple39;s performance.

The big increase follows a weak performance earlier this year in the world39;s biggest smartphone market, as the U.S. tech giant faces intensifying competition in the highend market from local rivals such as Huawei HWT.UL.

Apple39;s shipments in China increased by 12 in March, marking a significant improvement from the first two months of 2024, when the company experienced a 37 slump in sales.

Sales may see a further boost in May, as Apple launched an aggressive discounting campaign this month on its official Tmall site in China, offering discounts of up to 2,300 yuan 318 on select iPhone models.

The price reduction, double the size of a discount it offered in February, comes after Huawei introduced last month its new series of highend smartphones, the Pura 70, following the launch…