FIRST half smartphone shipments from Shenzhen's Huawei Technologie went up 62 per cent year on year as the company increased production of high end products, a field still dominated by Samsung and Apple.

Huawei has shipped 34.27 million smartphones worldwide in the first six months ending June 30, about 43 per cent of its annual shipment target of 80 million, said Reuters, working from company figures.

"We recorded faster growth in areas such as Middle East and Africa and Latin America, with 275 per cent and 550 per cent year-on-year growth in the second quarter, respectively," said vice president Shao Yang.

Mr Shao attributed the growth to improving brand awareness and stronger sales channels in overseas markets.

Huawei, which rivals Lenovo and ZTE Corp, shipped 21 million smartphones globally in the second quarter ending, up 85 per cent year on year. Huawei had a 4.7 per cent global smartphone market share Samsung claiming 30.8 per cent and Apple 15.2 per cent.

Huawei's success is reflected in market leading Samsung results, which posted weak quarterly profits citing increased competition from Chinese rivals offering high-end models at cheaper prices.