TAIPEI -- Taiwanese chip designer MediaTek posted its first year-on-year increases in sales and profit in five quarters thanks to a rebound in smartphone-related demand.

MediaTek earned 25.6 billion New Taiwan dollars ($820 million) in consolidated net profit for the fourth quarter ended December, up 38.8% from the same period a year earlier, the company reported Wednesday. Net sales climbed 19.7% to NT$129.5 billion.