Sales of smartphone in Chinese market in the first quarter increased 4.8 percent compared with the fourth quarter last year.

Sales hit 8.24 million units in the first quarter, accounting for 19.1 percent of all types of cellphones sold on domestic market, according to a report issued by Beijing-based CCIDC Consulting company.

Sales value stood at 20.4 billion yuan (2.91 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months, representing an increase of 7.6 percent over the same period last year.

The average price of a smartphone in Chinese market is around 2,470 yuan. Compared with high-end ones, low-end smartphones are more popular among buyers, said the report.

Smartphone produced by Nokia company and Motorola accounted for 85.9 percent of the market share.

(Xinhua News Agency May 12, 2008)