Samsung still holds the top position on the global smartphone market. Nonetheless, others are catching up. From 2013’s 32.5 % to 2014’s 28 %, Samsung has lost quite a bit in favor of other contenders, like Apple or Lenovo, which either stagnate or rise. The data extracted by research firm TrendForce shows a drop of 5% in market shares for Samsung in 2014. Even so the Korean giant still holds on to the top with a firm grip. On the other hand Apple managed to keep a steady line. There is only a slight difference of 0.2 % between 2013 – 2014. As such, the Cupertino company had market shares in 2013 in percentage of 16.6, while the number for 2014 was 16.4 %.
Other handset manufacturers have seen some pleasing developments as well. For example Lenovo and its new acquisition, Motorola, had a nice rise from 2013 to 2014 of roughly 3 % (4.9 % – 7.9 % considering the merge). LG got a jump on Huawei from 2013. According to the same TrendForce report, LG jumped one place in the rankings, 5th to 4th from 2013 to 2014, while at the same time sending Huawei on the 5th position in 2014.
The data from TrendForce can also provide with keen insight on the whole smartphone market scene. For example, data extracts from the company show that the overall value of the smartphone market grew at a staggering rate: 927.2 million world-wide shipments in 2013, while in 2014 we are talking about 1.2 billion. In this situation, giant stake-holders like Samsung find it increasingly harder to maintain the lead for a long time since competition is getting more diverse. In large markets, like China, Samsung has seen a drop in shares in favor of companies such as: Lenobo, Xiaomi or Huawei.
Samsung admitted to making some mistakes across the year 2014, one of which was presenting too many smartphone models and not paying attention to other key products. The company announced that the number of models that will be produced in 2015 will by cut down by almost 30%. Reportedly, the Korean producer stated that the third-quarter income on mobile devices plummeted by up to 74 %, rendering operating profits to their lowest since the middle of 2011.
As the phone market expands and other options become available the once giants seem to start dwindling. No mountain will be tall forever, eventually the wind will blow it to bits, and Samsung in no different. Even if it holds to the throne its a matter of time before a new king will rise to its expectations.