Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung has succeeded in maintaining its edge on China's smartphone market for the fifth straight quarter in a row. It has also broke its own record by selling more than 10 million smartphones in a single quarter.

The Korean phone maker sold 12.5 million smartphones in China during the first quarter of 2013, according to new data from market research firm Strategy Analytics. This is up 2.2 percent from the last quarter of 2012 and makes up 18.5 percent of China's smartphone market. These numbers were first reported by The Korea Herald.

Coming in second place was China's Huawei with 8.1 million smartphones sold, followed by Lenovo with 7.9 million, China's Coolpad with 7 million, and ZTE with 6.4 million units sold. Picking up the rear, in sixth place, was Apple -- which sold 6.1 million smartphones in the first quarter.

China is one of the world's biggest smartphone markets making up roughly 32 percent of all global shipments, according to Strategy Analytics. And, Samsung has just begun ruling this market. In March, Strategy Analytics reported that for the first time Samsung topped the market in 2012, selling 30.06 million devices throughout the year -- pushing out rival Nokia. In 2011, Samsung sold 10.9 million units.

Samsung is also doing well globally. The phone maker took home almost all of the profits generated by Android smartphones last quarter, according to another report released by Strategy Analytics earlier this month. During the first quarter of 2013, global Android smartphone profits totaled $5.3 billion with Samsung capturing a hefty 95 percent, or $5.1 billion, of that amount.

Strategy Analytics senior analyst Woody Oh has pinned Samsung's success on an "efficient supply chain, sleek products, and crisp marketing."