Smartphone sales grow 43% in 2012

Global sales of smartphones grew 43% in 2012, reaching 700 million devices, according to consultancy Strategy Analytics. The breakthrough, however, was lower than that in 2011, when the market has advanced 64%. According to the consultancy, the performance was due to a smaller increase in Smartphone penetration rates in mature markets such as North America and Western Europe.
Samsung and Apple
Samsung ended the year in the lead, with 30.4% stake and 213 million smartphones on the market. This was the largest volume of smartphones sold by a manufacturer in a single year. The previous record was from Nokia, with 100.1 million smartphones in 2010.
Apple is the leader, with 19.4% of market share in the Smartphone market.
Throughout the year, the company delivered 135.8 million iPhones, with high of 46% compared to 2011. Together, Apple and Samsung accounted for half of all smartphones shipped worldwide in 2012. According to Strategy Analytics, companies have had such performance thanks to huge marketing budgets, large distribution channels and attractive product portfolio.
On the other hand, Nokia, which has led the Smartphone market, finished third in 2012. Its market share fell from 16% in 2011 to 5% last year.
According to Linda Sui, an analyst with consultancy, the company's portfolio has improved significantly in recent months, with models like the Lumia 920. However, Nokia still need a smartphone capable of overcoming the iPhone or the Samsung S3 Galaxy.