ABI Research confirmed IDC's belief that the world mobile handset market improved. Nokia maintained it's lead followed by Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson and Motorola.
"2009 may have started with a whimper but by 4Q-2009 the global
mobile handset market ended with a pretty reasonable bang," says Jake
Saunders, Vice-President for Forecasting at ABI Research. "We estimate
336.5 million handsets were shipped in 4Q-2009, up 15.1% QoQ."
Competition continued to squeeze handset ASPs. In 4Q-2009,
shipment-based ASPs were down 2% to US$117.55.
"Obama's stimulus package certainly helped save the mobile handset
industry"
"Obama's stimulus package certainly helped save the mobile handset
industry," Saunders notes. "Renewed consumer confidence in the second
half of 2009 meant that shipments for the whole year only shrank 4.5% to
1.153 billion. Dire scenarios were mooted in early 2009. There is
cautious optimism about 2010 despite the fragile nature of the global
recovery. ABI Research forecasts shipments to expand to 1.2 billion
handsets in 2010."
Despite Nokia's weakened position in the smartphone segment, it still
managed to maintain 37.7% of the overall handset market. Samsung, the
market-share juggernaut, seems unstoppable. Between June 2008 and
December 2009, Samsung increased its market share from 15.2% to 20.5%.
Samsung has benefited from a strong line-up of feature phones as well as
a strong reputation for innovative smartphones. Korea's level of
influence over the handset market is further underscored by LG, the
third-largest handset vendor (10.1%). LG has been counting on its
S-Class smartphone series to help it secure a bridgehead in the market.
"In 3Q-2009, Motorola, under the direction of Sanjay Jha, has come out
of its corner fighting with a refreshed portfolio," adds practice
director Kevin Burden. "The Droid has received critical acclaim. However
Motorola's market-share continued to contract to 3.6%." Sony-Ericsson
also experienced a contraction to 4.3% but has high hopes that its
Android-based handsets will generate renewed interest.
HTC's market share did not fare well early last year. but its
circumstances improved slightly in 4Q, to 1.0% share. Notably, HTC
announced a revamped handset portfolio strategy, not just targeting
high-end smartphones but also launching smartphones that appeal to
purchasers with smaller wallets. These low cost "HTC Smart" devices will
rely on BREW.
For more about worldwide mobile device markets, please visit ABI
Research's "Mobile
Devices Market Sizing and Share"