Samsung and Xiaomi 'rise in popularity as Apple lags behind'

Samsung and Xiaomi are the big winners in China's smartphone market this year while Apple sales dropped, says a new research report.

The research, carried out by consumer insight company Kantar Worldpanel, finds Samsung's popular Galaxy line of smartphones helped the Korean company corner the largest share of the mainland's mobile market this year.

Galaxy S3 and S4 models have been especially popular, as has been the Galaxy Note 2, a phone and tablet hybrid sometimes referred to as a "phablet".

The combined sales of these three models accounted for 25 per cent of Samsung's total profit for the third quarter this year. Half of all "premium" smartphones, referring to phones with a price of at least 3,000 yuan (HK$3,817), sold on the mainland during the period were Samsung products.

Samsung's marketing and brand loyalty programmes made the company's phones a popular buy with first-time smartphone purchasers, but Kantar's research also shows the company would need to create more innovative models if it wants to stay ahead in the long run, particularly as the Galaxy S4 is widely seen as only an incremental upgrade over the S3.