Tokyo: Samsung Electronics Co. emerged as the third-largest smartphone vendor in Japan in the second quarter, industry data showed Monday, climbing two notches from a year earlier.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean tech giant accounted for 10 percent of the market in the April-June period, up from 7 percent a year earlier, based on data compiled by industry tracker Counterpoint Research.

U.S. tech giant Apple Inc. maintained the top spot with 49 percent, followed by Google with 11 percent. Japan's Sharp Corp. and China's Xiaomi Inc. held 6 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

The report also indicated that Samsung's smartphone shipments increased by 60 percent during the period, while shipments for Apple and Google rose 38 percent and 13 percent, respectively.

"Samsung was able to expand its market share on the back of distinctive artificial intelligence features in its Galaxy smartphones compared with rivals," an industry watcher said.