Samsung Electronics, Apple and LG Electronics ranked as the top-three smartphone vendors globally in the third quarter as well as the first three quarters of 2014, based on third-quarter reports released by individual vendors and data from makers in the supply chain, according to Digitimes Research.
China-based vendors Huawei, Xiaomi Technology and Lenovo took the fourth, fifth and seventh positions, respectively, during the same period, Digitimes Research added.
Additionally, five out of the top-10 vendors in the January-September period were China-based suppliers, with Xiaomi leading all vendors with a nearly 200% on-year shipment growth. China-based ZTE, which ranked eighth in 2013, has dropped out of the top-10 list.
Global smartphone shipments are expected to reach 1.219 billion units in 2014, growing less than 30% from a year earlier. For 2015, global smartphone shipments will expand 22% on-year to 1.488 billion units, contributed by shipment growth in emerging markets, Digitimes Research estimated.