(Yicai Global) Nov. 2 -- Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies saw its tablet computer shipments leap by almost a third in the third quarter from the same period last year despite being shackled by an escalating series of trade bans by the US government, according to the latest report from IDC.

Huawei sold 4.9 million tablets in the three months ended Sept. 30, the fourth biggest global player with 10.2 percent market share, the US market intelligence firm said.

The increased use of remote offices during the Covid-19 pandemic has boosted demand for the portable device. Global shipments as a whole rose 24.9 percent in the third quarter from the year before to 47.6 million units, the report said.

US tech giant Apple remained in top spot, selling 13.9 million tablets, a year-on-year increase of 17.4 percent, although its market share lost ground slightly falling to 29.2 percent from 31.1 percent.

China’s Lenovo jumped to fifth place with 8.6 percent market share, a leap of 62.4 percent from the same period last year. The Beijing-based firm benefited from its well-placed budget range, IDC said.

Samsung also did well with shipments soaring by 89.2 percent to 9.4 million units, lifting the South Korean company to second place with 19.8 percent market share.

US e-commerce brand Amazon was the only one of the top five names to slide. It sold 5.4 million units, 1.2 percent less than the same time last year and its market share slipped to 11.4 percent from 14.4 percent.

Whether Huawei can keep up the performance remains uncertain, the report said. The sanctions mean that Google’s key apps, including the Play Store, Google Maps, Facebook and Youtube, can no longer be accessed on the latest Huawei phones.

The bans have also inflicted great damage on the Shenzhen-based firm’s global supply chain and securing the right components for its tablet lineup will continue to be an issue, IDC added.

Editor: Kim Taylor