(Yicai) April 26 -- Apple's phone shipments fell in China in the first three months of the year, with the US tech giant dropping from the top to the fourth spot by market share behind Huawei Technologies, Honor, and Oppo Mobile Telecommunications, according to International Data Corporation.

Apple's market share dropped to 15.6 percent from 20 percent in the three months ended March 31 from the prior quarter, IDC said in a report published yesterday. Honor had the largest share with 17.1 percent, followed by Huawei with 17 percent, and Oppo with 15.7 percent. Vivo Communication Technology ranked fifth with 14.6 percent.

Shipments of smartphones in China rose 6.5 percent to around 69.26 million in the first quarter from a year earlier, IDC noted. The Android phone market jumped 9.3 percent thanks to the excellent performance of Honor and Huawei, whose shipments surged 13.2 percent and 110 percent, respectively, IDC added.

Apple's discounts during the first quarter failed to mitigate the impact of the intense competition from Android phonemakers, said Arthur Guo, senior research analyst at IDC China's Client System Research.

Supply issues remain the key hurdle for Huawei in increasing its shipments further, according to IDC. The Shenzhen-based firm's new Pura 70 series will likely help its shipments to go on soaring this quarter.

"The close race among the top-tier players implies that Chinese consumers are more likely to change from one brand to another," said Will Wong, senior research manager at IDC Asia/Pacific Client Devices Group. "Thus, there's an increased need for action from the vendors to keep innovating to ensure strong customer stickiness."

China's foldable smartphone market has been developing fast, with shipments of such devices surging 83 percent to 1.86 million units in the first three months of the year from a year ago, IDC noted.

Huawei secured the top spot in the foldable phone market with a share of 44 percent thanks to its Mate X5 and Pocket 2. Honor has been rapidly growing since the launch of its Magic V2, ranking second with a 27 percent share, followed by Vivo, Oppo, and Samsung Electronics.

Editor: Martin Kadiev