People walk past an Apple store in New York, the United States. Photo: Xinhua

Apple has updated its trade-in service in China to include used Android phones. The scant reimbursement offered for Android phones have caused uproar among users.

Experts say the move comes as Apple adjusts its strategy to enlarge its market share and shipments in China following its decline in the first quarter of 2020, its worst in two years. 

Five types of Android phones are now included in Apple's trade-in service: Huawei, Xiaomi, Samsung, OPPO and vivo. Price reimbursements range from 200 yuan ($28) to 1,700 yuan.

The Huawei P30 Pro released in 2019 is valued at 1,700 yuan, while the Huawei Mate 9 released in 2016 can be traded in for a deduction of only 200 yuan.

The highest possible reimbursement is 3,750 yuan, and is offered to users trading in Apple's own iPhone XS Max released in 2018.

Apple said the actual value of the deduction will depend on the condition, configuration and year each device was manufactured.

The low trade-in price tags for used Android phones have stirred discussions among Chinese internet users. Many say the deductions offered are too low. 

"Is it a humiliation for domestic brands?" internet user LEEWonderFull commented on Chinese Twitter-like social media platform Sina Weibo.

Qing Wen, owner of a Huawei P30 Pro in Shanghai, said she wouldn't consider the trade-in service at the moment. "It's still a new phone and the price offered is too low compared to other second-hand sale platforms," Qing told the Global Times.

The true purpose of the trade-in service is to enlarge Apple's market share, industry analyst Liu Dingding told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"The strategy will have some effect in boosting sales but it is not that attractive for Android users. After all, the Huawei P30 Pro is still a relatively new phone. The price was cut by 70-80 percent by the trade-in and it is too much," Liu commented.

Apple's iPhone sales in China were down 30 percent to 6.5 million units during the first quarter of 2019, while Huawei came out on top with 29.9 million units sold, data from Canalys showed. Apple came in as the fifth-best-selling brand in China after Huawei, Oppo, vivo and Xiaomi.