Canalys reported smartphone shipments into Latin America grew 17 per cent year-on-year to 31.8 million units during Q3, reversing six quarters of annual declines.

The company cited recent vendor moves to refresh their portfolios ahead of a key sales period, along with a general increase in demand.

Canalys noted the Q3 gains followed “a period of channel inventory stabilisation, coupled with a favourable consumer environment”.

Senior consultant Miguel Perez said shipments into key markets grew by double-digits.

He noted “Brazil and Mexico returned to growth” and “Central America and Peru are emerging as key markets” for new vendors, citing triple-digit gains for Transsion, Honor and ZTE.

Columbia bucked the trend, with shipments down 11 per cent due to diminishing economic activity.

Samsung topped the tables with a 32 per cent market share, ahead of Lenovo-owned Motorola on 19 per cent.

Although optimistic for the current quarter, Perez stated the mid- to long-term forecast for Latin America remains uncertain due to social and political unrest.