BEIJING (Reuters) -Sales of foreign-branded mobile phones in China, including Apple Inc's ( AAPL ) iPhones, edged up in April, according to data released by a government-affiliated research company on Friday.

Calculations based on the data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) showed that April shipments of foreign-branded phones in China rose to 3.52 million units from 3.50 million a year earlier.

As the largest foreign mobile phone maker in China's smartphone-dominated market, Apple's ( AAPL ) performance plays a significant role in the overall data on foreign-branded phone sales in the country.

The uptick in April comes after a sluggish first quarter in which Apple's ( AAPL ) phone sales in China dropped 9%.

Apple ( AAPL ) has faced increased competition from domestic rivals and has resorted to price cuts to stay competitive. Chinese e-commerce platforms are offering discounts of up to 2,530 yuan ($351) on Apple's ( AAPL ) latest iPhone 16 models earlier this month.

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)