China is a major market for Apple. In the third quarter of 2018, the country accounted for about 18 percent of the tech giant's $62.9 billion in global revenue.

China Merchants Securities said in a research note that if the order is strictly followed, it will negatively affect up to 6.73 percent of Apple's global sales. The calculation is based on the popularity and sales volume of each iPhone model in China.

According to Qualcomm, two patents involved in the legal dispute enable consumers to adjust the size and appearance of photos, and to manage applications using a touch screen on their devices.

Jia Mo, an analyst at market research company Canalys, said these patents are actually software patents and not related to important chip components Qualcomm used to provide to Apple.

"Also, the dispute seems to only target Apple's older iOS 11 operating system. But new iPhones all come with iOS 12 now. Also, previous similar preliminary orders have had a limited impact," Jia said.

On Tuesday, all iPhone models remained available in Apple stores and e-commerce platforms in China.