Samsung Slices Apple From Top Phone Spot

Samsung became the world’s top smartphone maker in the last three months, taking a bite out of its rival Apple.

The South Korean technology giant shipped 27.8 million smartphones between July and September, a near four-fold rise from a year ago, giving it almost 24% share of the market.

The figures from Strategy Analytics, put Apple, which shipped 17.1 million units, in second place and Finnish mobile manufacturer Nokia in third place.

Alex Spektor from the research firm said: “Samsung’s rise has been driven by a blend of elegant hardware designs, popular Android services, memorable sub-brands and extensive global distribution.”

Despite effectively entering the smartphone market just a year ago, the company saw sales skyrocket due to its streamlined production system that allows quick launches of new products.

However, the 16% drop in iPhone third quarter sales could be a blip, as customers held off over the summer for the new version in October.

The latest Apple handset, the iPhone 4S, has been flying off the shelves since its launch.

The touchscreen handset, which first hit the market in 2007, is seen as the gold standard in the smartphone market, although rivals are quickly catching up with adopted models.

With Samsung’s newest addition to its flagship Galaxy range, the Note which was launched on Thursday, it may be a close race in the run up to Christmas.

Nokia, which holds the top slot in the overall mobile phone market, is also fighting for a bigger stake in the smartphone arena with its new Windows-based Lumia handset.

But analysts say Apple and Samsung will continue to dominate the market till the end of the year.

Kim Hyun-Joong from Midas Asset Management, which owns shares in the Seoul-based firm said: “In the handset division, Samsung has no real rival models to challenge its products except for the iPhone 4S.”

Mr Spektor added: “Samsung has demonstrated that it is possible, at least in the short term, to differentiate and grow by using the Android ecosystem.”

Meanwhile, the two companies are suing each other – Apple claims Samsung allegedly copied the design and feel of the iPad and iPhone, while Samsung says Apple has infringed some of its technology patents.