IDC: Top Five Best-Selling Smartphone Brands Of Q3

The Ever Growing Smartphone Market

The worldwide smartphone market grew by 25.2 percent, according to a report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

Vendors shipped a record 327.6 million units in the September quarter, up from 261.7 million in the same three-month stretch last year. There was also sequential growth of 8.7 percent from the 301.3 million units shipped in the second quarter of this year.

IDC said the growth of developed markets is slowing down, as they are seeing single-digit growth, while emerging markets are growing at more than 30 percent collectively.

Here are the top five best-selling smartphone vendors of the third quarter.

4. LG

To start off our slideshow, we have a draw.

LG was the fifth highest-selling smartphone vendor worldwide in the third quarter, and was so close to the fourth place vendor that IDC called it a draw.

LG sold 16.8 million smartphones in the three-month stretch for a market share of 5.1 percent. This is up from the 12 million sold in the third quarter last year. That was good for year-over-year growth of 39.8 percent.

This is the first time LG passed the 15 million-unit mark in its history and its low-cost smartphones played a huge role in that, IDC said.

LG's L-and F-series have sold well in both developed and emerging markets, while its flagship G3 keeps it in the high-end smartphone market.

4. Lenovo

Lenovo tied for fourth with LG. It sold 16.9 million units in the third quarter for a market share of 5.2 percent. This is up from the 12.3 million sold in the year-ago quarter for year-over-year growth of 38 percent.

Lenovo continues to see success in its local China market, but it’s the increase in shipments outside of the world's largest smartphone market that is behind its growth. Lenovo saw 20 percent of its shipments going outside of China, up from 9 percent in the year-ago quarter.

The company said Thursday it officially closed on its acquisition of Motorola, which gives it a gateway into the US market going forward.

3. Xiaomi

Xiaomi landed in the top five list for the first time in the company's history. The company shipped 17.3 million units in the third quarter for a market share of 5.3 percent. This is up from the 5.6 million units shipped last year, for year-over-year growth of 211.3 percent.

IDC said the Chinese vendor focused on its local and adjacent markets, resulting in triple-digit growth, year-over-year. The launch of its Mi4 smartphone in august was pivotal to its success. The phone is considered a high-end alternative to the status quo. Going forward, IDC said it remains to be seen how quickly the company can move beyond its local markets to drive in higher volumes.

2. Apple

Apple sold a record 39.3 million iPhones in the third quarter of this year, for a market share of 12 percent. This is up from the 33.8 million units shipped in the year-ago quarter for year-over-year growth of 16.1 percent.

Apple's success was fueled by the strong reception to its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, released in mid-September.

IDC said that despite the 10 million units sold during the iPhone 6's launch weekend, the continued success of the iPhone 5S and 5C should not be overlooked as they made up the bulk of Apple's sales.

It is also notable that Apple did not begin selling the iPhone 6 in China, the largest smartphone market in the world, until mid-October.

1. Samsung

Samsung was the clear leader in the worldwide smartphone market, but it was the only top five vendor to see a decline in the growing smartphone markets.

The Korean conglomerate shipped 78.1 million units during the third quarter for a market share of 23.8 percent. This is down from 85 million units shipped last year, for a year-over-year decline of 8.2 percent.

IDC said Samsung has seen continued competitive pressure from all sides coupled with cooling demand for its high-end devices.

Samsung typically relies on its high-end devices, but its mid-range and low-end models drove volume for the quarter and drove down prices. The company announced its new Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge smartphones in early September before they were made available in mid-October ahead of the holiday quarter.