According to the latest research from market research firm Strategy Analytics, smartphone shipments reached a record 24 million units in China during Q3 of 2011, but only amounted to 23 million in the United States.

Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, explained that the US is still the world’s biggest smartphone market by revenue. Mawston stated that China is now at the forefront of the global mobile computing boom, adding that the country has become a large and growing smartphone market that no hardware vendor, component maker or content developer can afford to ignore.

Linda Sui, analyst at Strategy Analytics, said: "Smartphone shipments grew 58% sequentially to reach a record 23.9 million units in China during Q3 2011. In contrast, smartphone shipments fell 7% sequentially to reach 23.3 million units in the United States. China has overtaken the United States for the first time to become the world's largest smartphone market by volume."

"China's rapid growth has been driven by an increasing availability of smartphones in retail channels, aggressive subsidising by operators of high-end models like the Apple iPhone, and an emerging wave of low-cost Android models from local Chinese brands such as ZTE,” added Tom Kang, director at Strategy Analytics. “Nokia currently leads China's smartphone market with 28% share, while HTC heads the United States smartphone market with 24% share."

 

In related news Strategy Analytics also recently announced that smartphone shipments increased by 44% annually to reach a record 117 million units in Q3 of 2011, whilst global handset shipments grew 14% annually to reach 390 million units during the same period.