August 04, 2014 10:06
The global smartphone market is undergoing a major shift due to the rising prowess of Chinese manufacturers. The market shares of Samsung and Apple have dropped as Chinese rivals roll out more competitive products.
Market researcher Strategy Analytics on Friday said Samsung accounted for 25.2 percent of the global smartphone market and Apple 11.9 percent in the second quarter, still ranking first and second. But their combined market share totaled 37.1 percent, compared to 51.7 percent in the first quarter of 2012.
It was the first time in two years that their combined market share fell below 45 percent.
China's Huawei, Lenovo and Xiaomi each accounted for five percent of the market in the second quarter. It took Xiaomi only three years to grow into the world's fifth-largest smartphone maker. It recently began exporting its products to India and Italy.
Huawei and Lenovo's sales are also growing not only in China, but in North America, the Middle East and Africa.
The share of the combined players other than the top six stood at 40.6 percent, up 3.74 percentage points compared to the same period of 2013. That is more than Samsung and Apple's combined market share.
Smaller smartphone makers have been rolling out products that meet the needs of local clients. For example, Indian firms Micromax and Karbonn rank at No. 2 and 3 in India after Samsung, while Apple controls less than five percent of the market there.
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