I Got Five On It: ZTE Is World’s Fifth Largest Smartphone Manufacturer

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ZTE is now the world’s fifth biggest manufacturer of smartphones in the world.

According to global research company IDC, the Chinese mobile manufacturer has knocked RIM out of the top five by shipping 8 million smartphones in Q2 of 2012.

That’s a massive 300% increase compared to sales in the same quarter of 2011, making ZTE the world’s second fastest growing manufacturer of smartphones behind Apple. Good effort.

The research also shows that ZTE is actually fourth in the running when it comes to overall mobile phone shipments, after it shifted 15 million units last year.

The Chinese manufacturer now has a market share of 5.2%, putting it 1.4% behind Nokia who are number three, and only 0.5% behind number four, HTC.

However, there’s still more to do in camp ZTE as far as IDC is concerned. The research report stated: “Despite impressive gains last quarter, brand equity may prove to be an issue for ZTE in future. Strong brand recognition is a necessity if high-growth smartphone sales abroad are a priority for the company.”

ZTE sells most of its handsets in the UK, China, France, and the USA, so it may have to work on improving brand awareness if it wants to stay in the top five.

Only time will tell whether it can keep its place in the smartphone manufacturer hall of fame, stay tuned for more ZTE-related news.

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