Smartphone sales rise

Sales of smartphones in China are forecast to more than double in the first half of the year, market research firm GfK Retail and Technology China Co said Tuesday.

Smartphone sales in the Chinese market will hit 160 million units during the first six months, a surge of 109 percent compared to the same period of 2012, the research firm said in a statement.

By the end of the first half, smartphones are expected to account for more than 85 percent of the total cell phones in the market, GfK estimated, attributing the soaring popularity of smartphones mainly to the rising availability of low-end devices that sell for under 1,000 yuan ($163).