Samsung aims for 15% growth in handset sales in 2012

Samsung plans to grow its handset sales by 15% in 2012, and further close the gap that separates it from becoming the world’s biggest phone manufacturer. Currently, Nokia holds that title, but in 2012 the Finns are expected to have their sales shrink further to around 399 million.

Samsung’s tactics will put its smartphone business in focus with increased sales. The Korean company projects its total sales next year to amount to 374 million handsets, of which 150 million are seen to be smartphones. This is a huge increase of 49 million over this year’s expectations for total handset sales.

Samsung zipped past Apple to become the world’s biggest smartphone maker last quarter, and while the two companies will fight over the throne in the next few quarters, it seems that Nokia is only getting further away from the smartphone lead. The Nokia Lumia 800 has been met with mixed reports and while there’s no official sales data yet, it seems that in Europe where it’s already available, customers aren’t all that hyped about it. A recent survey by Exane BNP Paribas actually said a mere 2% of Europeans would pick it over any other smartphone.

Samsung’s Galaxy S lineup in contrast has sold more than well - both the original Galaxy S and the S II registered combined sales of 30 million units. 

source: Korea Economic Daily via Reuters