[Techtaffy Newsdesk]

Global mobile phone shipments grew a modest 1 per cent annually to reach 362 million units in the second quarter of 2012, according to research from Strategy Analytics. Samsung was the star performer during the quarter, capturing a record 26 per cent marketshare.

Ongoing macroeconomic challenges in mature markets like North America and Western Europe, tighter operator upgrade policies, and shifting consumer tastes were among the key reasons why global mobile phone shipments grew just 1 percent annually to reach 362.0 million units in Q2 2012. Fuelled by surging demand for its Galaxy models, Samsung was the star performer, shipping 93.0 million mobile phones worldwide and capturing a 26 per cent marketshare to solidify its first-place lead.

Nokia’s global handset shipments continued to decline, albeit at a more moderate minus 5 per cent annual rate, reaching 83.7 million units in Q2 2012. Nokia’s Windows Lumia family of smartphones has made a relatively encouraging start, but shipments are not yet high enough to offset rapidly fading volumes for its Symbian platform. Nokia’s feature phone volumes showed healthy, single-digit annual growth, bolstered by Nokia’s expanding portfolio of dual-SIM and Asha models for emerging markets.

Apple shipped 26.0 million handsets worldwide in Q2 2012. Apple delivered 28 percent annual growth, which was bolstered by solid demand in Asia. Apple’s next major task is to ensure that the upcoming release of its rumored iPhone 5 upgrade is a success. The hardware design, screen size and any integrated new technologies for the iPhone 5 will need to wow consumers and operators and make the new model stand apart from competitors like Samsung’s Galaxy S3.

Other findings from the research include:

• ZTE captured 5 percent of the global handset market, as shipments slipped minus 16 per cent annually, partly because of weakened demand in major markets of Western Europe and China;
• LG’s shipments nearly halved year-over-year to 13.1 million units, as its feature phone volumes continued to slip. However, its global smartphone shipments encouragingly improved on a sequential basis.

[Image Courtesy: Strategy Analytics, Samsung]