Global mobile phone market gets significant boost by burgeoning demand for smartphones


Samsung Electronics, the world’s second-largest phone maker, has held the biggest U.S. market share for 11 straight quarters anchoring its position as a top seller in the region, according to market research data.

Strategy Analytics on Monday said Samsung’s market share stood at 27.4 percent after selling 12.6 million cellphones in North America during the first quarter of this year.

LG Electronics held a 17 percent share to continue being the No. 2 seller. Apple Inc., the maker of the widely popular iPhone, followed at a close third after doubling its stake.

During the first three months of this year, Apple’s market share rose to 14.6 percent, compared to the 7.1 percent share it held last year when it was the fifth-largest handset maker in the U.S.

Taiwan-based HTC, a brand rapidly gaining an international reputation for its smartphones, also manifested equally impressive growth during the same period, data showed.

Some other handset makers, such as Blackberry manufacturer Research In Motion and Motorola, went downhill. Both companies saw their sales drop to under 4 million handsets.

The data also showed that Samsung Electronics was the top phone maker alongside Nokia in North America and Western Europe.

In other regions, Samsung was the second-largest seller.

The global mobile phone market received a significant boost on the back of burgeoning demand for smartphones. Global mobile phone shipments rose 20 percent from a year earlier to 371.8 million units in the first quarter, according to International Data Corp.

Worldwide, Samsung shipped 69 million handsets worldwide during the first quarter to record a 7 percent annual increase.

“Samsung has grown its smartphone volumes significantly over the past year, but it will need to continue expanding its portfolio in both directions to maintain momentum in a highly competitive market,” said Linda Sui, a researcher with Strategy Analytics.

Nokia, which faced stiff competition from rivals including Samsung and Apple, saw its global market share fall to below 30 percent for the first time in more than a decade during the first quarter this year.

By Kim Ji-hyun  (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)