Apple posted another record-breaking quarter, with 48 million unit sales, compared to 39 million iPhones sold in Q3 2014.
This is according to market analyst firm Juniper Research, which notes Apple is increasingly turning to China for this growth - with over $12 billion in revenue coming from the Far East, and continued investment in the form of new stores and developer support.
Apple reported blockbuster iPhone sales in China, suggesting worries about the company's growth trajectory in the world's second-largest economy are overdone.
However, the market analyst firm says while the appetite for Apple products is expected to remain strong in China, future expansion may be tempered somewhat by the slower economic growth expected in the market.
It points out Samsung is beginning to turn its mobile unit around, with increased unit shipments and a 37% year-on-year increase in profitability. This bolsters gains made by the company's semiconductor business, which is one of the most productive divisions for the company, says Steffen Sorrell, senior analyst at Juniper Research.
Xiaomi sold an estimated 18.4 million smartphones, with the slowdown in China exacerbating the company's troubles in the international market, says Juniper Research. It adds this meant Huawei was the best performing Chinese vendor of the quarter, shipping 27.4 million devices, up 63% on shipments for this period last year.
It notes Apple is not the only smartphone vendor with its eyes on the future; despite a 32% year-on-year decline in shipments, Sony has announced plans to open a new smartphone factory in Thailand. This will start production in fiscal 2016, putting to rest rumours that the CEO was preparing to axe the division.
Sorrell says a similarly sharp sales drop from Microsoft is being blamed on an "updated strategy" - this is a reference to the shift away from devices onto a more platform-based business model. The 54% revenue decline is matched by a 38% year-on-year decline in unit sales, representing 5.8 million shipments for Q3, the report notes.
LG has posted its first Q3 year-on-year decline in smartphone sales, along with a drop in profit from both declining sales and unfavourable exchange rates.
BlackBerry sales continue to dip ahead of its Android launch, with sales estimated to have dropped below one million devices for the first time since 2005, the report states.
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