Huawei said its latest flagship smartphones, P9 and P9 Plus, achieved “unprecedented” global sales since they were launched in April, exceeding 2.6 million shipments within six weeks of release.

According to Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s consumer business group: “When consumers around the world are lining up to be the first to buy Huawei’s flagship smartphones, as they have for the P9 and P9 Plus, it’s clear the appeal of our devices is universal.”

The company noted strong performances in China, France, Finland and UK. In China, more than 5 million online preorders were made within a week of release, while in France, sales were up more than 1,000 per cent compared with P8 sales last year.

Sales of P9 were up more than 400 per cent in Poland and Finland, and more than 300 per cent in Britain, over those of the P8.

The Chinese vendor claims its global market share has hit 8.5 per cent “and cemented the company’s top-three position in the smartphone industry”.

During Q1 2016, Huawei shipped 28.3 million units globally, a 64 per cent increase year-over-year.

In April it was reported that Huawei has set itself the ambitious target of shipping 140 million smartphones this year – up 30 per cent from 2015 – and wants revenue from its smartphone range to hit $40 billion in 2018.

A spokesperson told Mobile World Live it is targeting sales of its consumer group reaching $30 billion this year, up 50 per cent from last year.

At a summit in Shenzhen, it emphasised its goal of becoming a top-tier consumer brand, while acknowledging that this will be no easy task.

Last year smartphone shipments surpassed its 100 million target, expanding to 108 million units, including 40 million from its Honor business.