Galaxy S3 led the charge for Samsung last quarter, selling 10m unitsSamsung has emerged as the leading smartphone manufacturer in Q2, 2012, according to Juniper Research. Samsung shipped 52.1m units in the second quarter of 2012, more than double the 26m shipped by Apple.
RIM, meanwhile, shipped 7.4 BlackBerry units in the same period, and was outsold by Nokia's Windows Phone 7 handsets, which shipped 10.2m units.
Samsung clearly dominates the Android market, with HTC shipping 11.6m units, and Motorola lacking a foothold in Europe.
HTC in trouble?
A second piece of research from YouGov, meanwhile, shows the ground HTC has lost to Samsung is down to weak marketing. According to YouGov's SMIX index, HTC's future 'consideration levels - the number of respondents who said they would consider buying a HTC as their next device - dropping to 30 per cent from 42 per cent in June 2011. Expectation levels, meanwhile - which are similar, but measure what handset respondents anticipate buying - dropped from 16 per cent to 9 per cent.
YouGov suggests weak branding is responsible, which saw too many undistinguishable models released within the same range, such as the Sensation, which saw XL and XE versions released within six months of original. Samsung, however, which has mostly stuck to releasing clearly spaced updates in its Galaxy range, with high loyalty, consideration and expectation rates, increasing year-on-year - and is picking-up HTC's users when they churn.
"HTC has long been falling out of the rat race. Our research also found a small number of HTC owners considered their make and model of HTC before purchasing it – significantly lower consideration rates compared to rival brands – a worrying sign," says Russell Feldman, associate director in YouGov’s telecoms and technology team. "The brand needs to act, and fast, in order to prove their worth in the fast paced industry that is the smartphone market. Marketing and advertising, as well as branding need re-evaluating in order to re-tempt churners and win new custom - which is currently going to Samsung."
