How Apple lost bite as India rang in profits for Chinese smartphone makers

Even in the premium segment, smartphones that cost more than $400, Apple lagged Samsung and China's OnePlus in the third quarter

Software engineer Samee Alam was ready to take the big leap and buy an iPhone in this week's Diwali festival sales, but at the last minute he opted for cheaper Chinese competitor OnePlus instead.

Alam, 27, spends hours on his phone watching shows, surfing and shopping, making him the perfect target for Apple Inc as it strives to raise sales among India's 1.3 billion consumers.

But in a country where the average per capita income is around $2,000 a year, even the cheapest of this year's new iPhones, the XR at 76,900 rupees ($1,058), costs twice as much as many