Tuesday, 4 February 2014

Samsung smartphone sales falter in China and Europe

New figures show that Samsung is now coming under real pressure in most regions, even as Android continues to grow 

 

Samsung has already admitted that its share of the smartphone market dropped last quarter, resulting in its first profit decline in two years, but the latest smartphone data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reveals that the company's European and Chinese sales were particularly hard-hit.
Samsung's new Galaxy S4

After years of accelerated growth, Samsung's smartphone share slipped 2.2 percent to 40.3 per cent in France, the UK, Italy, Spain and Germany during the three months to December 2013, and in China its share ended the year flat at 23.7 per cent.

Since overall Android smartphone market share increased 4.9 per cent in China, the figures indicate that Samsung has lost ground to local companies like Xiaomi, which is now the market share leader in that country.
“It’s no surprise that everyone is concentrating on high growth China, but currently local brands are proving clear winners," said Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

"In December, Xiaomi overtook both Apple and Samsung to become the top selling smartphone in China – a truly remarkable achievement for a brand which was only started in 2010 and sells its device almost exclusively online. The combination of high spec devices, low prices and an ability to create unprecedented buzz through online and social platforms has proved an irresistible proposition for the Chinese."
Android market share also grew 5.7 per cent in Europe, to finish the year as the top operating system in the region with 68.6 per cent share, while Apple held second place with 18.5 per cent. Around a third of smartphones bought in December were gifts, and around 30 percent of these were manufactured by Samsung.

The news comes as Google and Samsung have signed a global patent cross-licensing agreement aimed at reducing "the potential for litigation" and enhancing innovation. The move is expected to strengthen their position against rivals such as Apple, which has filed multiple lawsuits worth billions of dollars for alleged patent infringements.




 Via The Telegraph

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