Samsung shipped 63 mn smartphones in Q4 2012: IDC

Samsung continued to be the leader in the smartphone market for Q4 2012, according to the latest report from research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) that reports the South Korean firm shipping nearly 63.7 million smartphones. This is nearly double, the 36.2 million shipments number of Q4 2011. Samsung’s overall market share stood at 29 percent which is a significant increase when compared to the Q4 2011 market share which was at 22.5 percent.

Cupertino-based tech giant, Apple was at number two with 47.8 million shipments and has a market share of 21.8 percent for Q4 2012. Apple did sell more smartphones in Q4 2012  but its market share dropped from Q4 2011 when it had 23 percent market control.

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But the surprise was what is number three on the list. China based Huawei saw nearly 10.8 million shipments for Q4 in 2012 with a market share of 4.9 percent. The shipments for Huawei doubled, compared to Q4 2011 when it had sold some 5.7 million smartphones at a market share of 3.5 percent.

[caption id=“attachment_603981” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A combination of pictures shows the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S III.  AFP[/caption]

Sony was at number four with nearly 9.8 million shipments and a market share of 4.5 percent, again a significant increase from the 6.3 million smartphones it shipped in Q4 2011 when it had 3.9 percent market share.

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China’s ZTE was close on the heels of Sony with nearly 9.5 million devices shipped and a market share of 4.3 percent. The company had shipped some 6.4 million devices in Q4 2011 with a 4 percent market share.

Commenting on Huawei and ZTE’s growth, Ramon Llamas, research manager with IDC’s Mobile Phone team, said “Both companies have grown volumes by focusing on the mass market, but in recent quarters they have turned their attention toward higher-end devices. In addition, both companies have pushed the envelope in terms of industrial design with larger displays and smaller form factors, as well as innovative applications and experiences.”

LG, RIM and Nokia did not make it to the list of the top vendors for Q4 2012 and it’s clear that the mass market strategy of Huawei and ZTE worked to their advantage. At the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Huawei also launched Ascend Mate, the first smartphone with a 6.1-inch display which will compete with other phablets like Samsung Galaxy Note II and the recently launched Sony Xperia Z.

As far as the overall mobile market is concerned for Q4 2012, it grew at 1.9 percent compared to 2011 with vendors shipping 482.5 million mobile phones for the quarter. For the full year, the global market for mobile phones grew 1.2 percent on shipments of more than 1.7 billion units.

Smartphone shipments constituted 219.4 million units in Q4 of 2012, and this is 45.5 percent of all mobile phone shipments, the highest percentage ever. On an annual basis, 712.6 million smartphones were shipped globally in 2012, which was 44.1 percent more than in 2011.

From the smartphone numbers, it is clear, the battle is between Apple and Samsung. What is interesting to note is that Apple despite having just one device still managed to ship nearly 47.8 million smartphones. Of course, Samsung’s high numbers are due to the army of Android smartphones, both high and low-end devices included. Samsung is also likely to launch the Tizen OS smartphones this year (which is a Linux based OS). But again its success against Android can’t be guaranteed.

Of course, if Apple does decides to pander to the market and launch a low-cost iPhone, Samsung could face a new kind of impossible pressure.