ZTE surges past Apple to become the world's fourth biggest phone maker
ZTE has become fourth on a global scale of phone makers by sheer volume. The company zipped past Apple, which remains the world’s fifth biggest phone maker in a quarter marked with anticipation of the iPhone 4S. ZTE registered shipments of 18 million handsets in the quarter, more than Apple’s 17.1 million iPhones.
At the same time, Samsung continues increasing its sales volume, thus closing the gap with Nokia which is on the decline. In the third quarter alone, Samsung shipped 88 million handsets, while Nokia shipped 106.6 million. Looking from the point of view of market shares, Nokia held 27.3% of the market, while Samsung trailed behind with 22.6%.
Check out the full press release below for all the analysis and fine details.
source: Strategy Analytics
Strategy Analytics: Global Handset Shipments Reach 390 Million Units in Q3 2011
Boston, MA – October 28, 2011 –According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global handset shipments grew 14 percent annually to reach 390 million units in the third quarter of 2011. China’s ZTE surpassed Apple to become the world’s fourth largest handset vendor, while Samsung’s marketshare reached record-high levels.
Alex Spektor, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “Despite ongoing economic volatility, global handset shipments grew a relatively healthy 14 percent annually to reach 390 million units in Q3 2011. ZTE was the star performer as it captured 5 percent market share and overtook Apple to become the world’s fourth largest handset vendor. ZTE’s growth is being driven by competitive pricing of entry-level models for feature phones and Android smartphones.”
Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Nokia’s global handset shipments edged down 3 percent annually to 107 million units in Q3 2011. Nokia’s strong sales of its entry-level dual-SIM models in emerging markets were counterbalanced by weak demand for its high-end Symbian phones in developed regions. The recent Microsoft Lumia announcements have come at a good time to help Nokia’s stagnant smartphone volumes. Hot on Nokia’s heels, second-ranked Samsung continued to grow and reached an all-time-high marketshare of 23 percent, fuelled by robust shipments of its high-end Galaxy S2 superphone.”
Other findings from the research include:
LG shipped just 21 million handsets worldwide in Q3 2011, as its Optimus One line of affordable smartphones lost some market momentum;
Apple slipped to fifth place in our marketshare rankings, as the delayed launch of the refreshed iPhone 4S yielded the vendor’s weakest quarter of the year.
Exhibit 1: Global Handset Vendor Shipments and Market Share in Q3 2011
Global Handset Shipments (Millions of Units)
Q3 ’10
Q3’11
Nokia
110.4
106.6
Samsung
71.4
88.0
LG
28.4
21.1
ZTE
14.0
18.5
Apple
14.1
17.1
Others
103.2
138.6
Total
341.5
389.9
Global Handset Vendor Marketshare %
Q3 ’10
Q3’11
Nokia
32.3%
27.3%
Samsung
20.9%
22.6%
LG
8.3%
5.4%
ZTE
4.1%
4.7%
Apple
4.1%
4.4%
Others
30.2%
35.5%
Total
100.0%
100.0%
Global Handset Shipments Growth Year-over-Year %
15.2%
14.2%
The full report, Global Handset Shipments Reach 390 Million Units in Q3 2011, is published by the Strategy Analytics Wireless Device Strategies (WDS) service, details of which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/3tbnzb6.
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