Research from Strategy Analytics says global smartphone shipments were up almost 54% year-on-year to a record 155 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011. Apple overtook Samsung in Q4 2011 with 24% market share, making it the world’s largest smartphone supplier for the quarter.
Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, said “While Apple took the top spot in smartphones on a quarterly basis, Samsung became the market leader in annual terms for the first time with 20 percent global share during 2011. With global smartphone shipments nearing half a billion units in 2011, Samsung is now well positioned alongside Apple in a two-horse race at the forefront of one of the world’s largest and most valuable consumer electronics markets.”
Apple was in second place overall with 19% of the smartphone market, while third placed Nokia’s share of the smartphone market had halved from 33% in 2010 to below 16% in 2011.
Global smartphone vendor shipments
| (Millions of units) |
Q4 2010 |
Total 2010 |
Q4 2011 |
Total 2011 |
| Samsung |
10.7 |
23.9 |
36.5 |
97.4 |
| Apple |
16.2 |
47.5 |
37.0 |
93.0 |
| Nokia |
28.3 |
100.1 |
19.6 |
77.3 |
| Others |
45.6 |
128.9 |
61.9 |
220.8 |
| Total |
100.7 |
299.5 |
155.0 |
488.5 |
[Full report]