Apple ups its odds of gaining on Samsung in China

Apple has bigger designs on the biggest smartphone market in the world.

New iPhones could help Apple catch up with Samsung in China — Samsung is now the single largest smartphone player in that market — if two likely scenarios happen.

First, Apple announces a lower-cost iPhone, rumored to be the 5C. That would provide a better match for China’s price-sensitive consumers.

Second, Apple cuts a deal with China Mobile, the biggest carrier in the largest smartphone market in the world.