According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments grew 30 percent year-over-year, to reach a record 53 million units in Q4 2009. This was the strongest period of growth since Q3 2008 and smartphones are leading the handset industry out of recession.
Tom Kang, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said in the press release, “Global smartphone shipments reached a record 53 million units during Q4 2009, rising 30 percent from 41 million in Q4 2008. This was the strongest period of growth since Q3 2008 and smartphones are leading the handset industry out of recession. Sales are being driven by stronger consumer demand and a stream of attractive new 3G models tempting buyers into retail stores.”
Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “The smartphone market will become ultra competitive in 2010. Samsung and LG have ambitious plans to grow volumes and expand their app stores, while emerging players like Dell and Huawei are strengthening their device portfolios and courting major operators. The smartphone wars will be good news for consumers, but the fierce competition will inevitably place downward pressure on vendors’ pricing and margins.”
Other findings from Strategy Analytics’ Q4 2009 Global Smartphone Market Share Update report include:
• Nokia shipped a record 20.8 million smartphones worldwide in Q4 2009, rising 38 percent from 15.1 million units a year earlier. Key models included the E71 and E72 messaging phones
• Apple continues to gain market share, shipping a company record 25.1 million iPhones in 2009, up from 13.7 million in 2008 to capture 14.4% global smartphone market share (up from 9.1% in ’08).
• Global smartphone shipments reached an all-time high of 173.8 million units in 2009, growing 15 percent from 151.1 million during 2008.
Global Smartphone Shipments and Marketshare — Top 3 Vendors
Source: Strategy Analytics
MacDailyNews Take: Strategy Analytics needs to work on their “smartphone” definition. Some of those “Eseries” Nokias are barely even feature phones. Seriously, we’d rather be stuck with a BlackBerry Storm than Nokia’s best so-called “smartphone.” God only knows what Nokia models Strategy Analytics is throwing into their “smartphone” count to arrive at these numbers.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brawndo Drinker” for the heads up.]
Nokia makes smartphones?
Looks like RIM and Apple both had about the same growth. Nokia, surprisingly, was essentially flat. That means that “Others” took the hit, even as new hyped phones from Moto and HTC were produced.
Sucks to be them.
‘…the fierce competition will inevitably place downward pressure on vendors’ pricing and margins.” The only downward pressure I want to see is on the telcos. They need to lower prices.
Strategy Analytics must have studied on Ballmer. Market share does not equal profits, just ask Nokia.
How much of RIM growth is due to BOGO?
And I wonder if VZ or AT&T;will continue subsidizing as many BOGO offers in light of the revenue and earnings hit they will take by reducing their “unlimited” plans down to $69.99.
If those Nokias are smartphones, well then yes, my own crappy little (free with a plan) Sony-Ericsson is also a smartphone: it can do e-mail, it can do music, it can do internet, it can take pictures, it can take (and show) video, it can do FM radio, it can do games… The only thing it doesn’t have is a QWERTY keyboard (instead, it has ordinary numeric keypad). And did I mention it’s crappy? In all fairness, though, its earphones are actually quite good (it IS Sony, after all; they had been making Walkman headphones for over thirty years now).
A bullet-point feature list does not a smartphone make.
Note: The market grew 15% and Apple’s iPhone grew more than 100%
Do the math. The story of this blood bath is already written!
@Surfcity
You have to remember, it wasn’t RIM that gave away their phones, it was AT&T;. RIM still made some money on those -though maybe less, it’s hard to know what kind of back room deals were made for the promotion. Further, each one of those BOGO you speak of come with a built in monthly fee for RIM, so they are making money twice on their phones.
Nat a bad deal for RIM.
As Apple product grows, it will straighten the Mac’s market share and eventually Window PC’s will fall into Apple’s hands.
PC= Piles of Crap
Mac= Mac are Courageous
http://www.apple.com/macosx Simplify your life, only on a Mac ™
E71 & 72 are not smartphones!!!
It’s Piece of Crap
UI is not what defines a smartphone, so why don’t *you* define what a smartphone should be and then judge whether Nokia-phones meet these criterias.
You are no better than SA if you don’t put your money where your mouth is…usually the specs of features in Nokia smartphones exceeds iPhone by a far margin.
Having said that, the UI isn’t even close to that of the iPhone.
…. hmmm. Yawn.
But the telling stat goes unreported people.
Who actually made money on their sales?
We know Apple does, but who else?
The day my phone has an IQ of at least 130 I will call it smart
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