Samsung aims to ship 500 million handsets in 2013, say sources

Daniel Shen, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 25 December 2012]

Samsung Electronics aims to ship 500 million handsets in 2013, of which 350 million will be smartphone models, according to industry sources, citing an internal estimate by Samsung.

As global smartphone shipments are expected to reach 860-900 million units in 2013 as projected by some market research institutes, Samsung's smartphone shipments will account for over 40% global market share, noted the sources.

Samsung's strategies of launching Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series as flagship models to build brand image and bring favorable influence on sales of its entry-level and mid-range smartphones have proven successful, enabling the Korea-based vendor to hold up the top vendor ranking, commented the sources.

However, other vendors including Nokia, Research in Motion (RIM), LG Electronics, HTC and Motorola Mobility have been trying, in vain, to ramp up sales by streamlining their product roadmaps, the sources indicated.

On the other hand, Sony Mobile Communications, Lenovo, Huawei Device and ZTE appear to have continued adopting a policy of launching a variety of models to sustain market growth, noted the sources, adding that vendors such as Lenovo and Sony Mobile seem to have so far failed to roll out flagship models that can extend the life cycles of their devices.