ZTE surges past Apple to become the world's fourth biggest phone maker

Strategy Analytics: Global Handset Shipments Reach 390 Million Units in Q3 2011

Boston, MA – October 28, 2011 –According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global handset shipments grew 14 percent annually to reach 390 million units in the third quarter of 2011. China’s ZTE surpassed Apple to become the world’s fourth largest handset vendor, while Samsung’s marketshare reached record-high levels.

Alex Spektor, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “Despite ongoing economic volatility, global handset shipments grew a relatively healthy 14 percent annually to reach 390 million units in Q3 2011. ZTE was the star performer as it captured 5 percent market share and overtook Apple to become the world’s fourth largest handset vendor. ZTE’s growth is being driven by competitive pricing of entry-level models for feature phones and Android smartphones.”

Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Nokia’s global handset shipments edged down 3 percent annually to 107 million units in Q3 2011. Nokia’s strong sales of its entry-level dual-SIM models in emerging markets were counterbalanced by weak demand for its high-end Symbian phones in developed regions. The recent Microsoft Lumia announcements have come at a good time to help Nokia’s stagnant smartphone volumes. Hot on Nokia’s heels, second-ranked Samsung continued to grow and reached an all-time-high marketshare of 23 percent, fuelled by robust shipments of its high-end Galaxy S2 superphone.”

Other findings from the research include:

LG shipped just 21 million handsets worldwide in Q3 2011, as its Optimus One line of affordable smartphones lost some market momentum;

Apple slipped to fifth place in our marketshare rankings, as the delayed launch of the refreshed iPhone 4S yielded the vendor’s weakest quarter of the year.

Exhibit 1: Global Handset Vendor Shipments and Market Share in Q3 2011

Global Handset Shipments (Millions of Units)

Q3 ’10

Q3’11

Nokia

110.4

106.6

Samsung

71.4

88.0

LG

28.4

21.1

ZTE

14.0

18.5

Apple

14.1

17.1

Others

103.2

138.6

Total

341.5

389.9

Global Handset Vendor Marketshare %

Q3 ’10

Q3’11

Nokia

32.3%

27.3%

Samsung

20.9%

22.6%

LG

8.3%

5.4%

ZTE

4.1%

4.7%

Apple

4.1%

4.4%

Others

30.2%

35.5%

Total

100.0%

100.0%

Global Handset Shipments Growth Year-over-Year %

15.2%

14.2%

The full report, Global Handset Shipments Reach 390 Million Units in Q3 2011, is published by the Strategy Analytics Wireless Device Strategies (WDS) service, details of which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/3tbnzb6.