Shipments of smartphones in the China market grew 11.2% sequentially to 101.2 million units in the third quarter of 2015, buoyed by an increase of 59.8 million new subscribers for 3G/4G services in the quarter, according to Digitimes Research.

Apple ranked as the largest smartphone vendor in China in the third quarter, followed by Huawei, Xiaomi Technology, Vivo and Samsung Electronics.

However, first-tier vendors Coolpad, Lenovo and ZTE all saw their rankings slide in the quarter, falling to eighth, ninth and tenth positions, respectively, Digitimes Research revealed.

Smartphone sales in China are expected to continue to bounce higher in the fourth quarter, increasing 7.7% sequentially to 109 million units, powered by the release of mid-range and high-end models by local and international brands, Digitimes Research estimated.