iPhone 6 Release Date In China: Apple’s Newest Flagship & Phablet To Be Avail. In World’s Largest Mobile Market After 4-Week Delay; Will Beat Xiaomi Mi4?

iPhone 6 release date in China: Apple’s newest flagship and phablet is finally coming to the Chinese mainland and on Friday, October 10, the world’s largets mobile market can pre-order the much awaited handset. It officially goes on sale on October 17.

According to Fortune magazine, early this Tuesday, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information announced that it had approved the new iOS 8-powered handsets for sale. Reuters reported that the MIIT had assured itself of the “rigorous scrutiny” that the new phones did not have a security backdoor through which Chinese state secrets could flow.

Apple will be competing head on in the very competitive Chinese market with the newly launched Xiaomi Mi4, unveiled by the Xiaomi corporation dubbed as the “Apple of China.” The Mi4 has been described as a copy of numerous iPhone 6 features and even its online sales page mirrors the iPhone’s microsite.

Nonetheless, Xiaomi is a formidable force in the vast Chinese market and is expected to sell 60 million units this year alone. Its premium specs, very Apple-like presentations, low-cost and publicity-churning marketing style, and competitive price have made it the fastest growing handset maker in the country.

As Apple begins to battle it out with Xiaomi in its home market, it also faces stiff competition from the likes of Samsung and China-based manufacturers Lenovo, Huawei, and Gionee.

The delay on the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus shows the challenge the Cupertino tech giant faces in expanding its presence in the country.

A report on Wall Street Journal notes that Chinese authorities scrutinized what they call back-end programs that could allow covert data collection. The business newspaper noted that the risks include third parties getting access to the phone through the Internet via a desktop or laptop computer it might be connected to.