Samsung Electronics announced that its mobile handset
sales exceeded 300 million units in 2011.
The sale of 300 million phones is a record for the
company. In 2010, Samsung sold about 280 million mobile phones.
Popularity of its smartphone is contributing to the
significant growth mobile phones.
In Q3 2011, Samsung overtook Apple in smartphone sales,
according to analyst firm Juniper Research. 22 percent of 115 million
smartphones shipped in Q3 2011 were from the Korean giant, compared with
Apple’s 15 percent.
One of the main reasons behind the surge in Samsung
handsets is the price factor. The main competitor of Samsung is Apple that
continues to find success with its premium iPhone range.
According to Samsung, company’s flagship Galaxy S
smartphone series including Galaxy S and Galaxy S II are contributing
significantly to the sales.
The GALAXY S II launched in April has set a new sales
record for Samsung, generating 10 million unit sales.
The main success for Samsung has come from its Android
based handsets, but the company is equally investing in other platforms under
its multi-platform strategy. Apart from its own Bada operating system, which
observed a good reception by the consumers, Samsung is focusing on its windows
phones.
Samsung is the only manufacturer that offers a range of
operating systems through its handsets; whilst Nokia has just tightened its
belt with the launch of its new Windows based Nokia Lumia series to strengthen
its declining market share.
According to Jim Elliott, vice president of Samsung
Electronics, the social network is having a huge impact on connected device
sales as more than 200 million people are accessing it on a mobile device. Social networks are also the
driver for Internet usage, even more popular than e-mail.
Another reason behind the increased handset sales is the
surging app industry. There are approximately 65,000
in the Android marketplace, and thousands more being developed as per the needs
of various markets. Samsung’s Bada and Android based handsets have been quiet
successful in delivering and providing the features with apps to the consumers.
According to IDC, Samsung’s smartphone shipments topped
20 million units for the first time in its history. The Korean tech giant
shipped 23.6 million smartphones in the third quarter, up from 7.3 million in
the third quarter of 2010. That took Samsung’s share of the smartphone market
from 8.8 percent in the year-ago quarter to a full fifth of it today.
Recently, Samsung announced that invested $70 million to triple its mobile manufacturing
capacity in India, which shows that India is one of the top 3 growth markets in
the world.
By Danish Khan
editor@telecomlead.com
