(Telecompaper) China's return to growth and high demand in emerging Asia-Pacific countries (APAC) drove third-quarter global smartphone sales to a quarterly record of 323.7 million, up 7.4 percent year on year, according to GfK. A 24 percent year-on-year increase in unit sales in emerging APAC was driven primarily by a 40 percent year-on-year growth in India, thanks above all to strong demand within the sub-USD 100 price band segment (up 66 percent year-on-year), which now accounts for almost half (48 percent) of the market, said GfK. Sales were also up 16 percent year-on-year in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), with Egypt posting stand-out figures of 39 percent year-on-year. In contrast to India, it was sales of high-end and mid-range smartphones that returned unit sales in China to growth for the first time in over a year. A total of 98 millions units were sold in the third quarter, a year-on-year increase of 6 percent, with sales units of high-end (USD 500+) and mid-range (USD 250-500) devices up 65 percent and 25 percent year-on-year, respectively.