China has make it the U.S. in the third quarter to become the man ’s heavy smartphone market by payload , but may find it tough to hold the attitude in the next two after part , according to a research firm .

China ’s smartphone shipments reached 23.9 million units by the death of the third quarter , harmonise toStrategy Analytics . This put the land just ahead of the U.S. where 23.3 million smartphones were send in the after part .

Strategy Analytics cautioned that the U.S. could peradventure find the lead as the top smartphone market place during the quaternary quarter , when vacation sales are expect to find fault up . “ In the come one or two quarter , it ’s going to be a seesaw secret plan , ” Strategy Analytics conductor Thomas Kang enjoin Thursday . “ But kick the bucket into next year , China will outstrip the U.S. market place continuously . China is going to be large every quartern . ”

The U.S. however , still remains the top smartphone market place in terms of total revenue generate , driven by cut-rate sale of high - end gimmick like Apple ’s iPhone . China will take three or four class before it can outperform the U.S. by revenue , Kang said .

Two other enquiry business firm report that the U.S. is still the top smartphone grocery by mass , although China is not far behind . Gartner , which tracks smartphone volume by twist sold rather than shipments , articulate that U.S. smartphone sales agreement pass on 22.2 million unit in the third quarter , beforehand of China ’s 21.7 million unit .

Canalys said last month that the U.S shipped over 200,000 more smartphones than China at the closing of the third quarter . Their definitions of smartphones or the vendors they let in may be different , said Strategy Analytics .

Strategy Analytics credited the development in China to better accessibility of smartphones in the state ’s retail channel , and subsidy on high - end devices like the Apple iPhone offer by China ’s fluid operator . More crushed - cost Android smartphones from domestic brand such as ZTE are also enter the Formosan market .

Nokia , which has see its smartphone salesdramatically dropthis past class , still holds the lede in China as the top smartphone marketer , with a 28 percent market share , according to Strategy Analytics .

“ Historically , Nokia has been a very estimable brand in China , ” Kang said . The company has a strong presence in China ’s retail groove , and also offers a Formosan language texting software system used on its phone , that has appealed to customers in the commonwealth , he said .

Nokia has however seen its smartphone market share in the country plump from the 70 percent it had in 2010 , according to Kang . The company ’s sales have been hit by contender from middle - end Android phones from domesticated brands , and by China ’s nomadic operators promoting the equipment of rival smartphone manufacturing business .

Apple , a company that has see its iPhone cut-rate sale soar in China , has an forecast 12 percentage share in the country ’s market , Kang said . “ It ’s part has been doubling every year , ” he added .

In the third quarter , HTC had a 24 percent market contribution in the U.S. , while Apple had a 20.6 per centum share .