China is the next major battleground for Apple and Samsung but it appears the Galaxy maker is getting the upperhand. More Chinese are looking forward to own the Galaxy S4, a new report said.

Many high-end mobile users in China currently own iPhone models - from the iPhone 4 to iPhone 5 - and they intend to jump to the next smartphone model this year.

However, some 52 per cent of these iPhone users will likely abandon the brand this year, according to Chinese research firm TrendForce. Their device of choice would be the GS4, which Samsung is rolling out beginning late April.

Should these latest indicators worry the U.S. tech giant? It should, TrendForce said, adding that the billions of dollars spent by Samsung for more consumers to like the Galaxy smartphones appear to be bringing in positive results.

From the 3000 respondents queried by researchers, 61 per cent said they've heard of the recently unveiled Samsung flagship - specifically aware of the device's top-notch capabilities like its Full HD Super AMOLED 1080p screen and its three flavour CPU deployment.

Samsung has indicated that the new Galaxy S4 will be released in three versions - the Snapdragon 600 1.6GHz edition that is slated to hit the U.S. and the U.K markets in the immediate weeks ahead and Exynos Octa 5 versions, with speeds of 1.9GHz and 1.6GHz, that will make their way to international audiences soon.

The Exynos versions seem to command more attention as Samsung stressed on the new chip architecture's incredible prowess plus the all-important energy efficiency.

In China, the report said, more than 78 per cent of consumers have professed that they are highly interested in getting the GS4 once it becomes available. Another 39 per cent admitted that they are moderately hooked with the new iPhone rival, BGR News said on its report.

Those who are certain they'll get the Galaxy S4 numbered to around 58 per cent while only about 52 per cent had indicated that they will snap up the rumoured iPhone 5S and the iPhone 6 as soon as Apple puts them on store shelves.

While the GS4 is well on its way to consumers' hands in the weeks ahead, it remains a big question when exactly the iPhone refresh, its low-cost version and the big-screen iPhone 6 are coming out.

The safest bet, analysts said, is August 2013, which they noted is the earliest possible release date for the new iOS 7 devices. That means the handsets could be issued a bit later, which could happen as late as Q4 2013.