Samsung’s gadget spam strategy has been vindicated. According to IDC, Samsung shipped an astonishing 314 million smartphones in 2013, more than double the 153 million smartphones shipped by second-place Apple. The 314 million smartphones shipped represented a 43% year-over-year increase from the 220 million smartphones that Samsung shipped in 2012 and gave Samsung a global smartphone market share of 31%. 2013 was indeed a busy year for Samsung, as the company released a whopping nine different versions of its flagship Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone as well as its hit Galaxy Note 3 phablet. Although Samsung’s most recent earnings report suggests that its smartphone profitability might be declining, the company is still the industry’s powerhouse.
As for the rest of the smartphone industry, IDC found that Huawei, LG and Lenovo are all locked into a heated battle for third place behind Samsung and Apple. In all, IDC says that Huawei shipped 48.8 million smartphones on the year, LG shipped 47.7 and Lenovo shipped 45.5 million, which means that all three companies are basically in a dead heat for the coveted No. 3 position. IDC also found that total smartphone shipments on the year reached the 1 billion mark for the first time, a significant milestone for the industry.
“The sheer volume and strong growth attest to the smartphone’s continued popularity in 2013,” explains IDC analyst Ramon Llamas. “Total smartphone shipments reached 494.4 million units worldwide in 2011, and doubling that volume in just two years demonstrates strong end-user demand and vendor strategies to highlight smartphones.”
