People stand near a logo of Xiaomi ahead of the launching ceremony of Xiaomi Phone 4, in Beijing, July 22, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

However, for the entire year of 2015, smartphone vendors still managed a three percent year-on-year increase as they shipped a record 438 million units in a country with a population of about 1.37 billion.

Xiaomi won a meager victory by shipping a total of 67.5 milllion units in its home market, defending the first position, followed by Huawei, with a total shipment of 62.2 million units. Apple shipped 49.5 million iPhones, ranking third and taking a 13 percent of market share in China.