(Yicai Global) March 28 -- China's Huawei Technologies, the planet's second-largest smartphone maker, was the only manufacturer among the world's top 10 to increase sales in January amid a global slump, according to data from German researcher GFK.

The Shenzhen-based firm's sales gained 21 percent annually to 11.1 million units, GFK said in a report published yesterday. Combined sales tallied 59.1 million, with Samsung losing 41 percent to 9.5 million handsets, ranking second, and Apple coming in third after sales slipped 21 percent to 8.8 million units.

Honor, also owned by Huawei, expanded sales 11 percent to 5.4 million units, ranking sixth. Oppo Electronics and Vivo Communication Technology, both owned by BBK Electronics, completed the top five.

Global sales excluding China tallied 28.5 million devices, down 35 percent on the year with Samsung, Apple and Huawei the top three sellers. Even outside of China, Huawei and Honor were the only brands to achieve annual growth. Honor outpaced its parent brand Huawei as sales multiplied two and a half times over.

Editor: James Boynton