Enlarge Image Hugo Barra/Twitter

Xiaomi has become one of the world's biggest smartphone brands based almost entirely on its strong sales in its Chinese homeland. On Friday, however, the electronics giant announced it had hit an important benchmark in India, perhaps its second most important market.

The Mi maker sold 1 million handsets during quarter three of 2015, according to company VP Hugo Barra. "We sold over 1M units in Q3, our best quarter ever!," he tweeted, adding that number represented a massive 45 percent quarter-on-quarter growth.

Those numbers contradict Counterpoint Research's report on India's quarter three smartphone market, with the firm saying Xiaomi's smartphone shipments declined by 46 percent due to competition from sub-$100 offerings like Micromax's 6,499 rupee ($100, AU$140, £65) Yuphoria .A Xiaomi spokesperson told CNET that its most popular offering was its Redmi Prime 2, a 4.7-inch smartphone that retails for 6,999 rupees ($105, AU$150, £70).

Many in the West may be unfamiliar with Xiaomi, though the brand's power has been steadily growing since its inception in 2010. The company released its first smartphone, the Mi, in 2011, and last year was valued at $45 billion. Xiaomi, currently ranked by Counterpoint Research as the world's fifth most popular smartphone vendor, entered the Indian market last August in what has been its biggest expansion outside of home soil.

The smartphone and tablet maker isn't stopping with India though, as in June it started officially selling its products in Brazil, and later this month will partner with Mobile in Africa Group to make its budget Redmi 2 and midrange Mi 4 phones available in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.

Though officially unavailable in the west, Xiaomi's phones are still easily procurable through online retailers.