Samsung is going to be knocked from its throne at the top of the smartphone market in the coming year if Apple and its Siri feature have anything to do with it, according to analysts.
Data from leading mobile analyst firm Juniper Research shows that Samsung has taken the lead over Apple during Q3: 22pc of 115m smartphones shipped were from the Korean giant, compared with Apple’s 15pc.
While Apple continues to find success with its premium iPhone range, its main rival is finding success with handsets at a range of price points.
Flagship model the Galaxy S II has continued the success of the first-generation device, while compelling new smartphones including Galaxy Note (5.3″ display) are poised to shake up the market.
Siri will be a killer app for Apple
However, with Apple’s iPhone 4S selling 4m in its first three days, Samsung will have to pull out all the stops to keep the Cupertino, California-based company from re-taking top spot.
Daniel Ashdown, research analyst with Juniper Research notes: “While the 4S is essentially an iPhone 4 with hardware upgrades, Siri is going to be a killer app for Apple. And the continuation of the iPhone 4 and 3GS in effect positions the company’s handsets at a range of price points, without losing their premium image.”
Nokia swims away from burning platform
Taiwan-based HTC has doubled its shipments year-on-year in Q3 to 13.2m, overtaking Blackberry-maker RIM (11.9m, down 8pc year-over-year). Meanwhile, Nokia’s shipments improved quarter-on-quarter, after two successive declines. And with the Finnish company’s first Windows Phone 7 handset coming out, things may be looking up for Nokia. In Q3, the company shipped 16.8m smartphones, up slightly from the 16.7m in Q2.
