A new report released by the China Brand Research Center says that Apple Inc. has overtaken the South Korean tech giant Samsung to emerge as the top brand in the Chinese mobile devices market.

Incidentally, the report has been released at a very crucial time when Samsung has been losing to its competitors in the rapidly increasing emerging markets.

The 2014 China Brand Power Index of the China Brand Research Center states that Samsung, which has been No. 1 in the list since 2012, failed to maintain its lead as the South Korean company put its market share ahead of customer loyalty. CNET reported that in spite of adding 24.6 points from 2013 to score 566.6 points on the index, Samsung could not contain Apple, which scored 568.5 points, from securing the top spot in the mobile rankings in China.

The China Brand Research Center surveyed 13,500 Chinese consumers in 30 cities in the age group of 15 to 60 years for the study between August 2013 and January 2014.

A statement issued by the China Brand Research Center read, "If companies (are) focusing too much on market share, while ignoring the concerns of consumers, it will cause a problem in brand management."

Despite failing to sustain its lead in the mobile sector, Samsung preserved its No. 1 position in the color TV and monitors segment in China. However, it was ranked third in segments that covered digital cameras, digital video cameras, and laptops.

Apple, which recently succeeded in posting the company's largest third-quarter smartphone volume ever, owing to the release of its highly anticipated iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, now has plans to open 25 new retail stores across China over the next two years. Currently, Apple has 15 outlets in the country and earns approximately 15 percent of its total revenue from Greater China.

While Apple has increased its focus on the Chinese smartphone market, the iPhone manufacturer is not the sole threat to Samsung's mobile business in China, as local vendors, such as Xiaomi, have also begun expanding their influence.