Samsung Extends Lead in the Smartphone Market in the Third Quarter

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By Trey Thoelcke Published
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Research firm Gartner says that worldwide sales of mobile phones to end users declined 3.1% year-over-year to nearly 428 million units in the third quarter of 2012. However, smartphone sales, which accounted for 39.6% of total mobile phone sales, increased 46.9% during that period.

A Garner researcher said:

After two consecutive quarter of decline in mobile phone sales, demand has improved in both mature and emerging markets as sales increased sequentially. In China, sales of mobile phones grew driven by sales of smartphones, while demand of feature phones remained weak. In mature markets, we finally saw replacement sales pick up with the launch of new devices in the quarter.

Samsung and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) continued to dominate the smartphone market, together controlling 46.5% of market in the third quarter. Strong demand for Galaxy smartphones pushed Samsung’s market share to 32.5%. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) moved up to the number three spot, followed closely by HTC at number four. Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK), which had occupied the number three spot in the previous quarter, slipped to seventh place.

Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android operating system increased its market share to 72.4%. But with the release of the iPhone 5, Apple’s iOs is expected to build on its 13.9% market share in the fourth quarter. RIM held the number three spot on here too, and Microsoft Corp.’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows for mobile came in sixth.

The full Gartner report can be found here.

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About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.

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