Leading Chinese technology company Xiaomi also surpassed US technology company Apple in its sales during the global coronavirus pandemic.

Leading technology analytics company International Data Corporation (IDC) has released its latest report for the third quarter of 2020 on smartphone sales. According to the report, in the third quarter of 2020, the world's number one smartphone company is South Korean tech giant Samsung, followed by Chinese company Huawei and third-ranked Xiaomi, which has overtaken Apple.

According to the report, Samsung's sales in the third quarter of 2020 have increased by about 2 percent compared to the quarter of 2019, after which Samsung is at the top with 80.4 million smartphone units sold.

Chinese technology company Huawei, on the other hand, saw a 23pc drop in sales in the 2020 quarter compared to the 2019 quarter due to US sanctions, but it still ranks second on the list with 51.9mn units.

Meanwhile, the Chinese company Xiaomi has surpassed the American technology company Apple, during the third quarter of 2020 saw a 45pc increase in the sales of Xiaomi compared to the third quarter of 2019, after which it came third on the list with 46.5mn units sold, which is five million units more than Apple that sold 41.6mn units.

According to Nabila Popal, research director at the IDC, the increase in smartphone sales is due to over-advertising and discount offers.