Samsung ruled China's smartphone market last year

South Korean electronics giant Samsung took top spot in China's smartphone market in 2012, after sales of its devices nearly tripled from 10.9 million in 2011 to 30.06 million last year.

Citing figures from Strategy Analytics, the Yonhap News Agency said yesterday that Samsung held 17.7 percent market share in 2012. This also marked the first time it topped the Chinese smartphone market since entering the market in 2009, thanks to global brand recognition and increased cooperation with Chinese carriers, the report added.

Samsung's rise in China was at the expense of rival Nokia. The Finnish phone maker, which was No. 1 in 2011 with 29.9 percent market share, plunged to 3.7 percent last year to take seventh place, according to the research.

Read more of Samsung dominates China smartphone market in 2012 at ZDNet.