Huawei overtook Microsoft to become the world’s third largest mobile phone vendor following a “lacklustre” Q2 2015 for mobile phone shipments, according to Strategy Analytics.

Global mobile shipments in total grew from 428 million units in Q2 2014 to 434.6 million in Q2 2015, representing annual growth of 2 per cent, “the industry’s weakest performance for two years, due to slowing demand for handsets in China, Europe and the US”, according to Woody Oh, director of Strategy Analytics.

Huawei, however, “was the star performer” during the period after capturing a 7 per cent market share, up from 4.8 per cent for the same quarter-2014, shipping 30.6 million mobile phones to overtake Microsoft for the first time ever.

“Huawei is rising fast in all regions of the world, particularly China where its 4G models, such as the Mate7, are proving widely popular,” said Ken Hyers, director at Strategy Analytics.

Microsoft lagged behind, shipping 27.8 million devices for the quarter, capturing a 6.4 per cent market share, down from 11.8 per cent in Q2 2014.

The company’s mobile phone vendor market share is now sitting near an “all time low”, according to Neil Mawston, executive director at the analysis company. “Microsoft continues to lose ground on feature phones”, he added.

Market leader Samsung also dipped 7 per cent annually, distributing 89 million phones, and while the company stabilised volume in the high end, its lower tier models continues to face competition from rivals like Huawei in Asia.

Xiaomi, which remains a major player in China, also saw slowing international and local growth, and “may struggle to hold on to its top-five global phone ranking in the coming quarters”, added Mawston.

Apple, meanwhile, grew 35 per cent annually, shipping 47.5 million phones, attaining an 11 per cent market share. According to analysts, Apple outperformed as consumers in China and elsewhere upgraded to bigger-screen iPhone and 6 Plus models.

Smartphones accounted for eight in 10 total shipments during the quarter, according to Strategy Analytics.