Apple is now the fifth-largest cellphone maker in China

During the last quarter of 2013, Apple upped its share of the Chinese smartphone market to 7% on positive iPhone 5s demand, but still trails in fifth place behind vendors with cheaper offerings. According to the latest statistics from market research firm IDC, Apple’s smartphone marketshare in China grew one percent quarter-to-quarter in the last three months of 2013, making it the fifth-largest handset vendor in the country.

Apple is now the fifth-largest cellphone maker in China, according to a report in the Wall Street Journalbased on numbers from analyst firm IDC. The iPhone maker leapt a full percentage point in the last quarter of 2013 on the strength of its iPhone 5s and 5c, and the report does not even include sales from China Mobile, with which Apple finally inked a deal in December. The surge in sales moved the iPhone into a seven percent share of the smartphone market. Samsung continues to dominate in China, where an array of Android models combined to give the Korean company 19 percent of the smartphone market, followed by local maker Lenovo with 13 percent, and Coolpad with 11 percent. Fourth-place Huawei edged out Apple with a 10 percent share, leaving the Cupertino company to round out the top five.