(Yicai Global) Aug. 16 --China's mobile phones have climbed to the top of the ladder inRussia, where one out of three handsets sells underaChinese brand.

HuaweiTechnology's mobile phones took the gold, claiming25percent of Russia'smarket sharein June, followed by SamsungGroup at 23 percent and Appleat 12percent. Chinese smartphones loggedgrowth of 50 percent in the first half, state People's Daily reported today.

Chinese mobile phone brands have swallowed one-third of the Russian market in just one year from one-quarterin last year'sfirst half. Their rapid success is attributable to delivery ofquality products with powerful features at a competitive price.

Quality and innovation are increasingly shaping the core competitiveness of Chinese brands. With a focus on investment in mid-and long-term research and developmentand innovation, Chinese mobile handsetmakers have developed the Kirin 970 chip and otherkey technologies, which has changed RussianperceptionsofChinese mobile phones and thus helped them gain a foothold in the high-end consumer market.

The success of Chinese mobile phones in the countryhas also benefited from a good localization strategy. Their makers have differentiated brand positioningand carried out precise promotionsin response to consumer demand from groups at varying salary levels in the country.

Huawei has attained an over80 percent localization rate in its operationsand sales and provided significant job opportunities to manytalents in that market. It has also built a partnership with Russia's largest search engine Yandex and the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation to foster strong alliances, said Ou Yiwei, president of Huawei's consumer business group forRussia, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Chinese mobile phone brands alsoenjoya competitive edge in internetsales byvigorously cultivatingonline shopping habits amongRussian users. Huawei, Xiaomi, and LenovoGroup have not only set up their own shopping websites, but also worked with major Russian e-commerce platforms to conduct online marketing and expand brand awareness and influence.

Editor: Ben Armour