Korean tech behemoth Samsung Electronics Co. became the top smartphone seller in five major regions of the world in the third quarter of the year except in North America, where its archrival Apple Inc. dominated, a report showed Sunday.

In the July-September period, Samsung posted the largest smartphone sales in Western Europe, the Asia-Pacific, Central and Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, according to the report by market tracker Strategy Analytics.

Samsung's feat was attributed to brisk sales of its premium Galaxy Note 5 model, as well as mid-range models, such as the Galaxy A8 and the Galaxy J5.

In a separate report late last month, Strategy Analytics said Samsung sold 83.8 million smartphones in the July-September period, taking up 23.7 percent of the global market, according to the latest report by market tracker Strategy Analytics. 

The figure far outstripped Apple's 48 million units, representing a market share of 13.6 percent.

According to the latest report, Samsung's smartphone sales reached 15.3 million units in Western Europe, 23.2 million in Asia-Pacific, 11.8 million in Central and Latin America, and 16.1 million in the Middle East and Africa.

In North America, Samsung sold 10.5 million units in the third quarter for a market share of 26 percent, with Apple leading the market with 33 percent.  

Strategy Analytics Samsung posted a meaningful upturn in smartphone shipments for the first time since the first quarter of last year, which stemmed from robust sales in the Middle East, Africa and other emerging markets.

The global smartphone market climbed 9.5 percent on-year to 354.2 million units as of end-September, according to the market tracker. 

(Yonhap)