BEIJING (Reuters) -Apple ( AAPL ) saw its iPhone sales in China jump 52% in April from a year earlier, Reuters calculations based on industry data showed on Tuesday.

The big increase follows a weak performance earlier this year in the world's biggest smartphone market, as the U.S. tech giant faces intensifying competition in the high-end market from local rivals such as Huawei.

Apple's ( AAPL ) 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.

Overall smartphone sales in China increased by 25.5% to 22.7 million units in April, data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) showed.