14 DAY TRIAL // South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics was already crowned as the leading smartphone maker for the third quarter of the ongoing year, and it seems that the company will remain there at least for a while.
During the three months ended September 2011, Samsung shipped around 27.30 million smartphones, which marks an increase of 43.7 percent when compared to the number of smartphones the company sold in the second quarter of the year, recent data from iSuppli shows.
Moreover, the handset vendor managed to grab 23.2 percent of the smartphone market in the time frame, up from the 17.5 percent it accounted for in the previous quarter.
Thus, Samsung became the leading smartphone marker in the world, getting in front of Apple, which actually lost market share in Q3.
The Cupertino-based company sold 17.1 million iPhones in the three-month period, down 15.9 percent from 20.3 million in the second quarter.
Nokia remained on the third place on the market, but got nearer to Apple's second place, and might regain some of the market share it lost during the past several quarters if its Windows Phone devices prove popular.
Samsung's rise was based mainly on the success of its Android-powered devices, and also helped the platform gain more markets share. According to iSuppli, the release of a new flavor of Android, namely Ice Cream Sandwich, is expected to help the OS remain competitive during this quarter and the next.
“Samsung has been coming on strong in the global smartphone market in 2011 because of its broad portfolio of products, especially at the high end with its new Galaxy S II line as well as its offerings in the fast-growing low-end segment of the market,” said Wayne Lam, senior analyst, wireless communications at IHS.
“Meanwhile, Apple suffered a sales decline in the third quarter as buyers delayed purchasing iPhones until the new 4S model became available in the fourth quarter. With the iPhone 4S now shipping in high volume, Apple is enjoying a sales spike in the fourth quarter that is expected to put it in a neck-and-neck battle for smartphone leadership with Samsung.”