Huawei ranks third in global smartphone shipments

The P9 smartphone is displayed in the Huawei Technologies Co booth at the Cutting-Edge IT & Electronics Comprehensive Exhibition (CEATEC) at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, Oct 4, 2016.[Photo/VCG]

The global smartphone market has continued its second quarter pickup in the Q3, and Chinese brands in particular have maintained strong growth, according to global market research firm TrendForce.

The production volume of smartphones worldwide totaled around 350 million units during the third quarter of 2016, up 10.4 percent from the previous quarter, hitting a new high this year.

In the third quarter, Huawei's smartphone production volume rose 10.3 percent from last quarter to 32 million units, ranking third in the global smartphone market.

The sales of the double-camera flagship device P9 were below earlier expectations because of increasing competition from other Chinese smartphone brands. However, driven by the peak season demand, Huawei's overall production rose during the third quarter.

During the third quarter, the production volume from Chinese smartphone brands reached 168 million units, up 18 percent from the second quarter, and exceeded the combined production volume of Samsung and Apple.

"The role of Chinese brands as the main driving force of global smartphone shipments is therefore firmly established," said TrendForce's smartphone analyst Avril Wu.

Apple's production volume fell 5.3 percent to 45 million units during the third quarter. Because much of the iPhone7 production will take place in the fourth quarter, TrendForce predicted its production volume is expected to jump significantly towards the end of 2016.

Samsung's smartphone production volume increased 1.3 percent to 78 million units during the third quarter. Samsung could maintain a similarly high level growth as a year ago mainly due to the popularity of its Galaxy J (Junior) series. In addition, Samsung also posted strong sales of Galaxy S7/S7 Edge.

However, the halt of the newly launched Note 7 is likely to impact its performance in the fourth quarter. Though the recall has tarnished Samsung's reputation, how much effect it will have on the brand's shipments remains to be seen, TrendForce said.