Huawei in third place shipped just shy of 30 million units to take 8.9 percent market share and that figure should put the fear of god into Apple and Samung.
That is half of what Samsung shipped (70 million) representing a 22 percent share and the leadership position. But it is not far behind Apple's 47.5 million iPhones, giving it a 14 percent share of the market.
The yearly growth rates make it more obvious. IDC said Samsung shipments fell by 2.3 percent, while Apple's grew by 35 percent and Huawei's by 48 percent.
Melissa Chau, senior research manager with IDC's mobile phone team said that while much of the attention is being paid to Apple and Samsung in the top tier, the smartphone market in fact continues to diversify as more entrants hit this increasingly competitive market.
"While the Chinese players are clearly making gains this quarter, every quarter sees new brands joining the market. IDC now tracks over 200 different smartphone brands globally, many of them focused on entry level and mid-range models, and most with a regional or even single-country focus," she said.
All this means that Apple and Samsung need to worry about what all these lesser rivals are going to do to them
