Lenovo Smartphone Beats Apple iPhone Sales in China

Lenovo, the world’s second-largest maker of personal computers behind Hewlett-Packard Co. and the smartphone newcomer, made a big jump from seventh place in the first quarter to second place in China’s mobile market. Credit:Lenovo China

Launched a few months ago, Lenovo's smartphone sales have over taken those of Apple's iPhone during the second quarter in China. The sales increase in the Chinese market pips the company from seventh to second place.

According to analysts, Lenovo, the world's second-largest makers of personal computers behind Hewlett-Packard Co. and the smartphone newcomer, took a massive leap from seventh place in Q1 2012 to second in Q2 2012, establishing its presence in the Chinese mobile market.

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"Lenovo had a huge second-quarter due to increased volumes through operators, and a continued push into retail, leveraging on its PC retail stores and partnerships," stated Teck-Zhung Wong, a Beijing-based analyst with IDC, in an email sent to Bloomberg.

According to the IDC report, Lenovo now enjoys 11 percent of China's smartphone sales in the three months ended June 30, whereas in Q1 2012, it held a paltry 1 percent of the market share. Apple's share, on the other hand, fell to 10 percent from 19 percent in Q1 2012. Meanwhile, Samsung retained the top spot with 19 percent share, which remained unchanged from Q1 2012.

Apple, after enjoying the top position for the past few years, it seems fighting a losing battle against the budget-oriented smartphones that Samsung, Lenovo, and Xiaomi have introduced. The Cupertino-based company, however, is expected to launch its next-generation iPhone in the coming months. iFans and tech experts are expectant that with the iPhone 5, Apple will be able to reclaim its numero uno spot.