Huawei has entered the top 5 largest smartphone manufacturers in the world, nabbing third place. This is according to the latest figures from IDC. It looks like more people are beginning to notice smartphones such as the Ascend P1.
IDC reports, “In the worldwide smartphone market, vendors shipped 219.4 million units in 4Q12, which represents 45.5% of all mobile phone shipments, the highest percentage ever. The 36.4% year-over-year growth was slightly below IDC’s forecast of 39.5% for the quarter. On an annual basis, 712.6 million smartphones were shipped globally in 2012, which was 44.1% more than in 2011.”
Senior analyst at IDC, Kevin Restivo, says, “The high-growth smartphone market, though dominated by Samsung and Apple, still presents ample opportunities for challengers. Vendors with unique market advantages, such as lower-cost devices, can rapidly gain market share, especially in emerging markets. A good example is Huawei, which overtook LG as a Top 5 vendor in the overall mobile phone market and passed HTC to become a Top 5 smartphone vendor.”
Research analyst at IDC’s Mobile Phone team, Ramon Llamas, says, “The fact that Huawei and ZTE now find themselves among the Top 5 smartphone vendors marks a significant shift for the global market. 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.”
IDC’s figures reveal that Samsung shipped 63.7 million smartphones in Q4 2012, making them the biggest smartphone manufacturer in the world with a market share of 29%. Apple shipped 47.8 million smartphones, making them the second biggest smartphone manufacturer with a market share of 21.8%. Huawei shipped 10.8 million smartphones, making them the third biggest with a market share of 4.9%. Sony slipped to fourth place shipping 9.8 million smartphones, making them the fourth biggest with a market share of 4.5%. Fifth place goes to ZTE with 9.5 million smartphone shipments, taking 4.3% of the market.
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