It’s a pretty well-documented fact that both the global leader of smartphone shipments and the mobile industry’s profit champion have been struggling in China for the past few years. While the market is in sharp decline, sales numbers around those parts still exceeded 100 million units in Q3 2018, according to Canalys.

Apple’s iPhones accounted for just 9 percent of that total, based on a different report compiled by Counterpoint Research, while Samsung held a microscopic 1 percent local share. With that in mind, it shouldn’t be too shocking to hear the Galaxy makers are pulling the plug ...