Despite claims to the contrary, ABI Research believes that global handset and smartphone sales were up over 15 per cent last quarter year-on-year, compared to a decline of 4 per cent in 2009.
The company estimates that 390 million handsets and smartphones were shipped in the fourth quarter of 2010. “Overall, that takes the 2010 total of handsets shipped to 1.36 billion,” said VP for forecasting Jake Saunders. “This is a remarkable turnaround given that just one year ago, 2009 shipments had contracted 4.4% YoY.”
ABI Research says that Nokia’s market share slid marginally to 31.7 per cent, and Samsung made marginal gains to 20.7 per cent.
Apple’s iPhone 4 continues to capture a growing piece of the smartphone market (4.2 per cent) whilst RIM also showed gains (up to 3.6 per cent).
Mobile devices VP and practice director Kevin Burden, says that over time a number of Chinese and Indian handset vendors will corner an increasing slice of the global handset market: “Huawei, ZTE and TCL/Alcatel Mobile are being joined by Indian vendors Micromax and Spice Mobile as regional and global handset movers and shakers.”
Via ABI Research’s Smartphones and Mobile Devices Research Service
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