Worldwide mobile device sales to end users totaled 325.6 million units in the second quarter of 2010, a 13.8 per cent increase from the same period in 2009, according to IT research and advisory firm Gartner, Inc.
Smartphone sales to end users accounted for 19 per cent of worldwide mobile device sales, an increase of 50.5 per cent from the second quarter of 2009, it said.
Manufacturers such as LG and Samsung pursued market share in a low-margin market but this approach proved risky,as shown by LGs decline of 27.8 per cent in ASP in the second quarter of 2010.
While new product introductions from Apple, HTC and Motorola, along with the drop in ASPs, drove strong sales of smartphones, shortages of components, such as active matrix organic LED displays, impaired sales volumes of some of the more popular new smartphones.
The second quarter also saw some movement in the top 10 mobile device manufacturer rankings.
HTC made its debut in the top 10 worldwide ranking, holding the number eight position with 139.1 per cent growth year-on-year.
This reflects the popularity of its Android portfolio but also a more aggressive branding strategy compared to the same period in 2009.
In the second quarter of 2010, Nokia's mobile device sales to end users reached 111.5 million units and a share of 34.2 per cent.Nokia's economies of sales and excellent distribution enabled it to hold onto top spot in the mobile device market.
But good quality, well-priced products were not enough to maintain Nokia's leadership in the high-end sector.
This caused Nokia to lose 2.6 per centage points year-on-year.
Samsung sold 65.3 million devices in the second quarter of 2010 that translated into a 20.1 per cent market share.
Though Samsung's sales were strong in developing markets, its shift in product mix caused an overall decline in ASP.
Samsung maintained its position in the midtier by launching several new devices, including messaging handsets.
Research In Motion's mobile device sales to end users reached 11.2 million units in the second quarter of 2010, confirming RIM's position as the fourth largest brand, with a share of 3.4 per cent this quarter.
Apples mobile device sales reached 8.7 million units or a 2.7 per cent share of the overall mobile device market, but a 14.2 per cent of the smartphone market.
Apple maintained its number seven position in the worldwide mobile device market and held number 3 position in the worldwide smartphone market.
In the smartphone operating system market, Android expanded rapidly in the second quarter of 2010, overtaking Apples iPhone OS to become the third-most-popular OS in the world.
