700 million smartphones shipped out last year, 30% of them were Samsung

The report found that a massive 1.6 billion mobile phones were shipped out across the globe in 2012, 700 million of which were smartphones. The report also shows us who the most dominant manufacturers were last year.

Not surprisingly, Strategy Analytics’ findings match what we’ve been seeing in all of the recent reports. Samsung managed to top the table of manufacturers with 213 million smartphone handsets shipped out over the course of 2012. Impressively, Samsung more than doubled the amount of units shipped in 2011, up from an already respectable 97.4 million smartphones last year. They also managed a strong Q4, with 63 million units dispatched over the final portion of last year, trumping Q4 2011’s 36.5 million handsets, and beating all the other manufacturers by quite a margin.

The data also shows the percentage of market share owned by each of the top manufacturers for the past two years. The most interesting statistic is probably that Apple kept a relatively stable market share from 2011 to 2012, with 19.0% and 19.4% respectively. Samsung on the other hand managed a substantial increase in their share, leaping from a 19.9% market share in 2011 to a massive 30% share by the end of 2012. So we can file this report as another which indicates that Apple might be starting to reach saturation with some of its products. At the very least we can conclude that growth for iPhone products is certainly starting to struggle.

Sadly for Nokia, the third largest individual manufacturer appeared to have a very poor year, dropping to a meager 5% share of the global smartphone market last year and only shipping out 35 million units. Whilst that’s still a large number, it’s a more than 50% reduction in their performance compared with 2011, and their market share dropped by staggering 68% in a single year.

Other manufactures still make up a significant portion of the global smartphone market, shipping out 45% of all handsets last year. So we’re not at the stage where any company monopolizes the market yet. But this data reaffirms what we’ve witness throughout 2012, Samsung is clearly moving into the dominant position in the market, whilst Apple is struggling to maintain its rate of growth. We can also conclude that the gap between the market leaders, Samsung and Apple, continues to grow.

If you like crunching through statistics, then you can check out the full report below.

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Strategy Analytics: Global Mobile Phone Shipments Reach 1.6 Billion Units in 2012

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global mobile phone shipments grew a modest 2 percent annually to reach 1.6 billion units in 2012. Samsung was the star performer, accounting for 1 in 4 of all mobile phones shipped worldwide last year.

Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “Ongoing macroeconomic challenges in mature markets like North America and Western Europe, tighter operator upgrade policies, and shifting consumer tastes were among the key reasons why global mobile phone shipments grew just 2 percent annually to reach 1.6 billion units in 2012. Fuelled by robust demand for its popular Galaxy models, Samsung was the star performer, shipping a record 396.5 million mobile phones worldwide and capturing 25 percent marketshare to solidify its first-place lead. However, Samsung’s total volumes for the year fell just short of the 400-million threshold.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Nokia’s global mobile phone shipments fell 20 percent from 417.1 million units in 2011 to 335.6 million in 2012. Nokia faced tough competition from Samsung in developing markets like China, while Apple and others ramped up the pressure in developed regions such as Western Europe. Nokia’s dual-SIM feature phones, Asha touchphones and Lumia handsets have been performing well, but this was not enough to offset a slump in demand for the company’s aging Symbian smartphone platform last year.”

Linda Sui, Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, “Apple shipped a record 135.8 million mobile phones worldwide in 2012. Apple delivered 46 percent annual growth last year, which was bolstered by solid demand in North America and Asia. Apple’s launch of the iPhone 5 in Q4 2012 was a success as volumes ramped up in dozens of countries worldwide, but negative media coverage of the model’s new integrated maps service and supply chain challenges cast a slight shadow over the launch.”

Other findings from the research include:
• ZTE captured 5 percent share of the global mobile phone market in 2012, as its shipments fell minus 8 percent from 2011, partly because of heightened competition in core markets like China and Western Europe from rivals such as Coolpad and Samsung.

Exhibit 1: Global Mobile Phone Vendor Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2012 1

Global Mobile Phone Shipments (Millions of Units) Q4 ’11 2011 Q4 ’12 2012
Samsung 95.0 327.4 108.0 396.5
Nokia 113.5 417.1 86.3 335.6
Apple 37.0 93.0 47.8 135.8
ZTE 24.4 78.1 19.5 71.7
Others 169.7 630.4 189.3 635.4
Total 439.6 1546.0 450.9 1575.0

Global Mobile Phone Vendor Marketshare % Q4 ’11 2011 Q4 ’12 2012
Samsung 21.6% 21.2% 24.0% 25.2%
Nokia 25.8% 27.0% 19.1% 21.3%
Apple 8.4% 6.0% 10.6% 8.6%
ZTE 5.6% 5.1% 4.3% 4.6%
Others 38.6% 40.8% 42.0% 40.3%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Total Growth Year-over-Year % 9.9% 13.7% 2.6% 1.9%

_____________________________

1 Numbers are rounded. Total in the data-table does not include grey phone shipments.

Strategy Analytics: Global Smartphone Shipments Reach a Record 700 Million Units in 2012

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments grew 43 percent annually to reach a record 700 million units in 2012. Samsung was the star performer, capturing 30 percent marketshare worldwide and extending its lead over Apple and Nokia.

Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “Global smartphone shipments grew 38 percent annually from 157.0 million units in Q4 2011 to 217.0 million in Q4 2012. Global smartphone shipments for the full year reached a record 700.1 million units in 2012, increasing robustly from 490.5 million units in 2011. Global shipment growth slowed from 64 percent in 2011 to 43 percent in 2012 as penetration of smartphones began to mature in developed regions such as North America and Western Europe.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Samsung shipped a record 213.0 million smartphones worldwide and captured 30 percent marketshare in 2012. This was the largest number of units ever shipped by a smartphone vendor in a single year, beating Nokia’s previous all-time record when it shipped 100.1 million units during 2010. Despite tough competition in stores and courtrooms, Samsung continued to deliver numerous hit models, from the high-end Galaxy Note2 phablet to the mass-market Galaxy Y. Apple grew a healthy 46 percent annually and shipped 135.8 million smartphones worldwide for 19 percent marketshare in 2012, broadly flat from the 19 percent level recorded in 2011. Apple had a strong year in developed regions like North America, but this was offset partly by its limited presence in high-growth emerging markets such as Africa.”

Linda Sui, Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, “Samsung and Apple together accounted for half of all smartphones shipped worldwide in 2012. Large marketing budgets, extensive distribution channels and attractive product portfolios have enabled Samsung and Apple to tighten their grip on the smartphone industry. The growth of Samsung and Apple has continued to impact Nokia. Nokia retained its position as the world’s third largest smartphone vendor for full-year 2012, but its global marketshare has dropped sharply from 16 percent to five percent during the past year. Nokia’s Windows Phone portfolio has improved significantly in recent months, with new models like the Lumia 920, but we believe the vendor still lacks a true hero model in its range that can be considered an Apple iPhone or Samsung S3 killer.”

Exhibit 1: Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2012 1
Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments (Millions of Units) Q4 ’11 2011 Q4 ’12 2012
Samsung 36.5 97.4 63.0 213.0
Apple 37.0 93.0 47.8 135.8
Nokia 19.6 77.3 6.6 35.0
Others 63.9 222.8 99.6 316.3

Total
157.0 490.5 217.0 700.1

Global Smartphone Vendor Marketshare % Q4 ’11 2011 Q4 ’12 2012
Samsung 23.2% 19.9% 29.0% 30.4%
Apple 23.6% 19.0% 22.0% 19.4%
Nokia 12.5% 15.8% 3.0% 5.0%
Others 40.7% 45.4% 45.9% 45.2%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Total Growth Year-over-Year % 55.9% 63.8% 38.2% 42.7%

Smartphone Pressure Mounts for Samsung and Apple Exiting a Strong Q4 2012, According to ABI Research

SINGAPORE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nearly 196 million smartphones and 451 million handsets were shipped during Q4 2012, according to the latest estimates from marketing intelligence firm ABI Research. This brings 2012 annual totals to 653 million smartphone and 1.6 billion handset shipments, representing a 36% and 2% YoY growth rate respectively. Smartphones accounted for 43% of all handset shipments in Q4, which pushed smartphones to 41% of all shipments in 2012.

Samsung retained its lead position overall by shipping 106 million handsets of which 60 million were smartphones in Q4 and capturing 31% of total smartphone shipments. In 2012 Samsung grew its handset shipments by 21.6% and its smartphone shipments by 123.8%. Despite missing most analyst estimates in Q4, Apple grew its smartphone shipment share to 24.5%, up from 16.4% in Q3. Apple shipped 47.8 million iPhones in Q4 bringing its 2012 annual total to 135.8 million. Apple’s 2012 annual shipment growth declined from 96% in 2011 to 46% in 2012.

“It is clear that the iPhone’s hyper-growth has ended, and ABI Research believes that Apple’s market share will peak in 2013 at 22%,” says mobile devices senior analyst Michael Morgan. “Unless Apple is willing to trade iPhone margins for low cost iPhone shipments, Apple’s handset market share will become dependent on customer loyalty.”

Looking at the rest of the pack, Nokia shipped 86.3 million handsets and 6.6 million smartphones in Q4 while RIM’s shipments of smartphones declined to 6.9 million. ZTE had an excellent Q4 with 20.7 million handset shipments and 11.2 million smartphone shipments.

“Samsung and Apple are both under pressure to maintain their market lead as less costly smartphones gain momentum entering 2013,” notes senior practice director Jeff Orr. “Technology optimization choices and a diverse handset portfolio are critical decisions over the next 6 to 9 months to come out ahead.”

These findings are part of ABI Research’s Mobile Handset Markets Database, which includes files detailing smartphone and mobile handset shipments, forecasts, and market share.
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