Fast-rising Chinese vendor Lenovo has put any disappointment over a reported blocked acquisition of BlackBerry behind it with the release of record quarterly results, fuelled by growth in smartphones and tablets.

Profits in the second quarter surged 36 per cent to $220 million as sales of mobile devices more than doubled from a year ago. Revenue increased by 36 per cent to $9.8 billion.

While the company’s regular PC business is in good shape (it strengthened its position as the world’s largest PC vendor with 14.1 million unit sales), it’s Lenovo’s continuing diversification and ‘PC Plus’ strategy that is grabbing attention and standing it in good stead for future growth.

Its smartphone, smart TV and tablet business accounted for 15 per cent of total revenue ($1.5 billion, an increase of 106 per cent year-on-year, up from 8 per cent a year ago and 4 per cent two years ago). Lenovo’s combined shipments of smartphones and tablets surpassed those of PCs for the second quarter in a row, and it cemented its position as the world’s fourth-largest smartphone vendor with year-on-year shipment growth of 78 per cent. The company said it plans to expand its smartphone presence “to at least 20 more markets in the next couple of quarters”.

Tablet sales were 2.3 million, a four-fold growth. Encouragingly, 77 per cent of tablet sales were outside its home market of China, ensuring its standing as the fourth-largest tablet vendor (behind Apple, Samsung and Asus, and ahead of Acer).

In total, the firm sold a record 29 million units in the July to September quarter, equating to about four devices per second.

“We are optimistic about the industry’s outlook,” said Yang Yuanqing, chairman and CEO of Lenovo. “Benefiting from corporate refresh and China market improvement, the PC market is recovering, and tablet growth continues shifting to mainstream and entry-level segments, as well as emerging markets. These are Lenovo’s strength areas. We are confident that we will capture these opportunities and continue our strong growth.”

Lenovo’s strong financial performance was released in the same week that reports emerged claiming its long-rumoured bid for troubled smartphone rival BlackBerry might have been successful were it not for the interference of the Canadian government.

Reports suggest the company had signed a nondisclosure agreement to examine the smartphone maker’s books but the Canadian government warned BlackBerry that the national security issues surrounding its sale to a Chinese company could scupper any deal the two companies might make.