Mobile phone market grows 1.9%, smartphones 36.4% in Q4

News Wireless Global 28 JAN 2013
Mobile phone market grows 1.9%, smartphones 36.4% in Q4

The global mobile phone market grew by 1.9 percent to 482.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to 473.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to IDC. Shipments for the full year rose 1.2 0.2 percent to more than 1.7 billion units. Smartphone shipments rose by 36.4 percent to 219.4 million units in the fourth quarter, accounting for a record 45.5 percent of all mobile phones. For the full year, smartphone shipments rose by 44.1 percent to 712.6 million units. 

Samsung ranked first for mobile phones and smartphones in the fourth quarter, shipping 111.2 million mobile phones for a 23 percent market share and 63.7 million smartphones for a 29 percent market share. Nokia was the second biggest vendor of mobile phones at 86.3 million units for a 17.9 percent market share, but did not place in the top five for smartphones. Apple was third for mobile phones, shipping 47.8 million units for a 9.9 percent share, and second for smartphones, selling 47.8 million units for a 21.8 percent share.

ZTE ranked fourth for mobile phones, selling 17.6 million units for a 3.6 percent share, and fifth for smartphones with 9.5 million units for a 4.3 percent share. Huawei ranked fifth in mobile phones with 15.8 million shipped for a 3.3 percent share and third for smartphones with 10.8 million units and a 4.9 percent share. Sony did not rank in the top five mobile phone vendors, but was fourth in smartphones, with 9.8 million units shipped for a 4.5 percent share.

IDC sees ample opportunities for challengers in the smartphone market to gain market share rapidly, especially in emerging markets, with lower-cost devices. Huawei and HTC have taken advantage of this space, but are now turning their attention towards higher-end devices.

Categories:

Mobile

Companies:

Apple,  Nokia,  Samsung,  HTC,  Huawei China,  Sony,  ZTE Belgium

Regions:

Global

Tags:

Sales figures, Wireless, Handsets, Market research

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