Nokia slips to third in smartphones but hangs onto overall lead

New figures from Strategy Analytics have confirmed Nokia’s dramatic collapse in smartphone market share, with the Finnish vendor falling behind both Apple and Samsung in shipments in Q2. According to the firm, total global smartphone shipments grew by 76 percent year-on-year to reach a record 110 million units in the quarter. However, Nokia’s smartphone shipments fell from a market-leading 23.8 million a year ago to just 16.7 million. Apple took the top spot on 20.3 million, followed by Samsung on 19.2 million. “[Nokia’s] 15 percent global smartphone market share is less than half of what it was just one year earlier, as the industry awaits Nokia’s pending transition to Windows Phone 7,” said Tom Kang, Director at Strategy Analytics.

Strategy Analytics noted separately that total handset shipments (not just smartphones) reached 361 million units in Q2 2011, rising 13 percent from 320 million units a year earlier. Nokia hung on to its overall lead by shipping 88.5 million handsets worldwide, but saw its market share drop sharply to 25 percent (from 35 percent), its lowest level since 1999. Samsung was second on 74 million units, followed by LG on 24.8 million. Apple’s 20.3 million iPhone sales cemented its position in fourth place. “Apple captured 6 percent global handset share and it is just over 1 point behind LG, the closest Apple has ever been,” said the research firm.

Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments and Market Share
Source: Strategy Analytics (July 2011)