Tech giant Samsung Electronics saw its share of the Japanese smartphone market increase in the third quarter, according to market research firm Strategy Analytics on Nov. 15.

The South Korean smartphone maker shipped some 500,000 smartphones during the July-September period in Japan. The figure accounted for 6.7 percent of the Japanese smartphone market, up from 2.4 percent a year ago. However, it is far lower than the 9.8 percent posted in the second quarter this year, which represented the highest market share for Samsung smartphones in Japan in six years.

US tech behemoth Apple was the most beloved smartphone brand in Japan, with its market share standing at 63 percent in the third quarter.

Sharp and Sony came after Samsung, respectively posting 5.3 percent and 4 percent. Huawei ranked fifth with 1.9 percent.

“Samsung has been ramping up marketing efforts in four major cities, including Tokyo and Osaka, since it released the Galaxy S10 lineup earlier this year,” a Samsung official said.

“The launch of new low and midrange smartphones, such as the Galaxy A30 and A20, also seems to be a reason.”

Last month Samsung released its Galaxy Note 10 smartphone, which features a larger screen and a stylus, and the foldable Galaxy Fold in Japan. As part of its marketing efforts, the company has used only the Galaxy label on smartphones sold there since 2015, leaving out its corporate name.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)