With market intelligence firm IDC noting the worldwide smart phone sector growing at a staggering 38.8 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2013, new research also indicates that Huawei — a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider — has largely outperformed competitors in the market to become the world’s third largest smart phone brand.

The findings are confirmed in the latest reports from IDC as well as research firm Strategy Analytics, which both indicate that Huawei held the third largest market share in the global smart phone arena based on unit shipments.

According to Strategy Analytics, Huawei shipped 12.7 million smart phones in the third quarter while IDC found that Huawei shipped 12.5 million smart phones. While Huawei continued to rely for the bulk of its shipments on Asia Pacific, strong head way into Europe, the MEA has also added considerably to its shipment volumes.

“With a commitment to product innovation and a customer-centric brand approach, consumers across the globe and in the Middle East in particular have seen the unique value that we are able to deliver in enriching life through communication,” says Jiao Jian, president of Huawei Device Middle East.

“Through deeper cooperation with local retailers, telecom operators, and direct engagement with the public at large, it will be very important for us to continue giving the public more and more opportunities to experience Huawei technology first hand,” Jian added.

Beyond the top two positions in the global smart phone sector, the competition has become tightly contested with less than a million units separating many of the other leading brands. The popularity of Android is being seen as a common driver for the success of these companies, although analysts believe they are now faced with the challenge of differentiation across this platform to stay ahead in the race.