The magic of the iPhone brand seems to be fading in China as consumers in the world's largest smartphone market greeted Apple Inc's latest handsets with less than the usual level of enthusiasm.

The relatively weak response came as the country's homegrown brands, such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and Xiaomi Corp, are pushing up-market, experts said.

On Monday, in Beijing's Sanlitun Soho, the capital's popular shopping area, Apple's flagship store experienced a slimmer turnout with only one short line of people queuing outside the store to get a try for iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus, which went on sale on Friday.