Samsung overtakes Apple as leading smartphone vendor

Anticipation for iPhone 4S hurts Apple as Samsung's portfolio continues to grow

Samsung has overtaken Apple as the leading smartphone vendor, as the firm's mix of high-end and mid-level Android devices helped it overtake the iPhone, according to a report by Strategy Analytics.

Samsung shipped a whopping 27.8 million devices in the third quarter of 2011, compared with Apple's 17.1 million, helping the South Korean firm to a global market share of 23.8 per cent, compared with Apple's 14.6 per cent. This saw Samsung's market share jump 14.5 per cent year on year.

However, the research indicates only that there are more Samsung handsets in the wider marketplace, as the data is based on shipments rather than actual sales.

Neil Mawston, director at Strategy Analytics, told V3 that the dramatic rise is due to a large increase in Samsung's device portfolio and a wider distribution channel.

"Samsung has a strong portfolio now, with the Galaxy S II in particular a very popular device, which has a halo effect on the rest of the range as those who want the device but can't afford it choose another Samsung device instead," he said.

"Apple's sales slowed a lot during the third quarter as the market waited to see what the firm would unveil in October, a situation which usually hurts its sales."

The figures from Strategy Analytics are only one set of data for the market, but the anticipation for Apple's new device, expected to be the iPhone 5 but revealed as the iPhone 4S, clearly hurt its financials for the quarter.

Samsung overtakes Apple as leading smartphone vendor

Anticipation for iPhone 4S hurts Apple as Samsung's portfolio continues to grow

However, Samsung could see its sales dramatically affected by a series of ongoing legal challenges from Apple, which is seeking to ban Samsung and other Android manufacturers from selling their devices in key regions, including Europe.

Meanwhile, underlining the challenge facing Nokia in the week of its first Windows Phone launches, the Strategy Analytics report showed that Nokia handset shipments slumped from 26.5 million in the third quarter of 2010 to 16.8 million in the same period in 2011.

This led to a fall in market share from 32.7 per cent to just 14.4 per cent, leaving Nokia facing a long climb if it is to return to the top of the mobile world.

"The deal with Microsoft will help Nokia stabilise but it's not going to help the firm recover instantly. The devices unveiled on Wednesday [at Nokia World] were good but didn't really wow the industry," Mawston said.

"The firm is only in phase one of its turnaround and has several more to go through before we will see any significant change."

Nokia unveiled the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 smartphones running on Windows Phone 7 at the event on Wednesday, as the firm tries to offer an alternative to the current two-horse smartphone race led by Apple and Google.