Sales in China of Apple's iPhone fell by 24% in the first six weeks of 2024 compared to a year earlier, according to research firm Counterpoint.

It comes as the US technology giant faces fierce competition from local rivals in the country.

During the same period China's Huawei saw its sales jump by 64% in its home market, the report says.

Apple and Huawei did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the BBC.

Aside from a resurgence of Huawei sales at the more expensive end of the Chinese phone market, Apple was also "squeezed in the middle on aggressive pricing from the likes of Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi," Counterpoint Research's Mengmeng Zhang wrote.

China, which is one of Apple's biggest markets, also saw overall smartphone sales shrink by 7% in the same period, the report said.

Huawei struggled for years due to US sanctions but its sales surged after releasing its Mate 60 series of 5G smartphones in August.

It came as a major surprise as the Chinese firm was cut off from key chips and technology required for 5G mobile internet.