Despite a global decrease of about 2% in handset shipments in Q3 2012, worlwide smartphone shipments raised a 32% in the same period. According to a report from ABI Research, this growth is lead by Samsung, who shipped twice as many smartphones as its nearest competitor: Apple.
In this period, smartphone shipments accounted for 40% of all handset shipments, slowly catching up with the "dumb" phones year after year. The trend seems to indicate that Samsung and Apple will continue leading the smartphone segment, forcing other OEMs to offer a range of smartphone products at a lower price to stay competitive.
Nokia smartphone shipments, once the market leader, declined a 38% from Q2 2012 with its current Lumia line of handsets powered by Windows Phone. With competing manufacturers looking to distinguish themselves with the upcoming Windows Phone 8 OS, Nokia will be in trouble to remain at the top ten smartphone OEM in the following months.
The report also highlights the growth of LG Electronics, who recently returned to profitability with a sustained demand for its LTE line of smartphones (something we posted about some days before). Worries at RIM and HTC continued as they smartphone shipments declined a 37% and 55% respectively.
Source: ABI Research Photo: Cosimple