Samsung is now officially the world’s largest smartphone maker, followed by Apple and Nokia in second and third positions, respectively, market research and analysis firm IDC confirmed.
The unveiling of Samsung Galaxy Nexus. (Image: gilipollastv (CC), via Flickr)
According to the International Data Corporation’s report for Q3 2011, Samsung now holds 20 percent of the global smartphone market, which is 11.2 percent higher than the same period last year.
Apple, on the other hand, fell from 17 percent to 15 percent, with Nokia stumbling down from 28 percent to 14 percent.
Samsung made 23.6 million smartphone shipments for the third quarter while Apple managed to ship 17.1 million iPhones for the same span.
Taiwan-based HTC entered the top five for the first time with shipments rising from 7.1 percent to 11 percent in a year’s time.
IDC senior research analyst Ramon Llamas said, “Samsung’s position will be a challenge to maintain. Apple’s fourth-quarter launch of the iPhone 4S and lower pricing of older models will certainly boost volumes, and Nokia’s recent launch of Windows Phone smartphones marks the beginning of a new era for the company.”
