CHINESE mobile phone makers are focusing on middle- and high-end products as they try to establish a global brand awareness, Shanghai Daily has learned.

Top domestic players such as Lenovo and Huawei all launched flagship models costing at least 2,500 yuan (US$407) in the past month. Previously they used to sell phones priced at 1,000 yuan or under.

During the Mobile Asia Expo 2013 held in Shanghai last week, Lenovo displayed its latest flagship model K900 costing 2,699 yuan, which features a 5.5-inch screen and Intel's latest chip.

Lenovo, the second-biggest mobile phone vendor in China, aims to surpass Samsung to become the No. 1 in the domestic market within two years, Lenovo's Vice President Feng Xing has said.

In June, ZTE unveiled its 3,999 yuan flagship Grand S model sporting a 5-inch screen which supports China Telecom's CDMA network.

Huawei unveiled its flagship smartphone, the Ascend P6, in London in June at its first standalone launch event, underlining its global ambitions in the top tier of mobile technology.