SALES of Apple's iPhone in China jumped over 18 per cent year on year in December, according to government data revealed yesterday.

China is gearing up for the Lunar New Year in late January — a major holiday for gift-giving in the country.

Apple shipped roughly 3.2m handsets in China in December, up from 2.7m a year earlier, according to data from the government and calculations by Reuters.

The tech giant offered discounts and financing schemes aimed at boosting Chinese sales throughout 2019. In Apple's last earnings call, chief executive Tim Cook indicated that such promotions had been successful in attracting more Chinese consumers.

After peaking in 2015, iPhone sales in China had stagnated due to factors including longer upgrade cycles and greater competition.

(c) 2020 City A.M., source Newspaper