Data from market analyst firm Counterpoint Research shows that this quarter, thanks to the iPhone, Apple has become the top smartphone brand in China for the first time in six years. In the fourth quarter of 2021, smartphone sales in the country slumped 9 percent year on year. This is the third consecutive quarter where a decline was recorded. Overall, the Chinese smartphone industry recorded a small 2 percent decline in sales in 2021, for the fourth consecutive year. Apple dethroned Vivo to become China’s top-selling smartphone brand. The research firm notes that the iPhone controlled 23 percent of the…