Nearly 300 million smartphones were shipped in the second quarter of this year, up almost 25 per cent from the same period last year, according to US market research firm International Data Corp.
Samsung remained the market leader, with 74.3 million units shipped. But that's a decline from last year's second quarter, when it shipped 77.3 million units, according to the release. Its market share declined from 32.3 per cent to 25.2 per cent.
Lenovo Group's shipments grew 38.7 per cent, from 11.4 million to 15.8 million. Its share of the smartphone market also rose to 5.4 per cent from 4.7 per cent. Lenovo in January said it will buy mobile phone-maker Motorola Mobility from Google for $US2.91 billion ($A3.15 billion).
Much of the growth in the smartphone industry is driven by emerging markets in Asia, South America and the Middle East, said Ramon Llamas, a research manager with IDC, driven by cheaper smartphone options.
"It's all about price, it's all about price," Llamas said.
