Sony has revealed ambitions to become the third-biggest smartphone manufacturer in the world, Digital Spy said.

The firm's head of mobile Kunimasa Suzuki admitted that toppling Apple and Samsung in the sector is unrealistic, but set his sights on becoming the top two's biggest competitor.

Sony was ranked in fourth place in the market at the end of the last fiscal quarter, behind Chinese company Huawei but ahead of ZTE.

Suzuki confirmed that Sony will tailor its upcoming slate of handsets for each territory in a bid to gain a foothold in every market, Reuters reports.

Sony recently released its high-end Xperia Z smartphone in the UK, bringing competition to the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S3.

The company held 4.9% of the global smartphone market at the end of December last year, while Apple and Samsung held more than 50% between them.