(Yicai Global) Oct. 23 -- Chinese smartphone maker Huawei Technologies Co. shipped over 112 million handsets in the first three quarters of this year, up almost 20 percent from a year earlier to send business revenue soaring by 30 percent.

The firm has made a shift to high-end products in recent years, cutting the proportion of low- and mid-end products it offers. The move has helped it expand its global market share and enhance its brand image, state-owned news agency Xinhua recently quoted Yu Chengdong, chief executive of consumer business at Huawei, as saying.

"At the moment, we have over 10,000 staff working in chip research and development," he said. "There are greater rewards at the upper end of the market, and we hope to win over more high-spending customers."

Huawei has some advantages over global brands in terms of chips and software, Yu added, but compared with Apple Inc. [NASDAQ:AAPL], it still lags behind in branding and profits. It is at a disadvantage in terms of its operating system, and this is something it needs to overcome to maintain its pursuit of the top spot.