ZTE shipped more phones than Apple in Q3

CHINESE PHONE MAKER ZTE says it is planning to become one of the top three phone makers by 2015, after analysts' figures showed it shipped more handsets than Apple in the third quarter.

According to the reports by telecoms analysts ABI Research, IDC and Strategy Analytics, ZTE has overtaken Apple to become the fourth largest handset maker in the world.

The INQUIRER was quite surprised by this claim, and immediately set out to prove ZTE wrong, but the sums do seem to add up. ZTE reported that its handset shipments reached 19.1 million in the third quarter, up by 57.9 per cent over the same period last year, while its market share increased to 4.9 per cent.

Apple meanwhile sold 17.1 million Iphones in the third quarter, according to its results released last month.

ZTE said it will invest more on marketing initiatives next year to increase its brand recognition.

Its next year might not be as easy as this one, as fellow Chinese manufacturer Huawei is also burnishing its brand in the UK.

Huawei held a huge launch for its Vision smartphone and Mediapad tablet last week, and has also made clear its aim to climb into the ranks of the top five handset makers. µ