Apple and Samsung have overtaken long-time leader Nokia for the top two spots in the global smartphone market, a report said Friday, underscoring the Finnish handset maker's ongoing struggles. US-based research firm Strategy Analytics said the US and Korean smartphone makers outpaced Nokia in the second quarter, with the sector posting record quarterly shipments of 110 million units, or a 76.3 percent year-on-year rise.
"Just four years after the release of the original iPhone, Apple has become the world's largest smartphone vendor by volume," the report said. The US company's global market share grew to 18.5 percent, up from 13.5 percent last year, and propelling it to top spot in the smartphone market, Research Analytics said.
"Apple's growth remained strong as it expanded distribution world-wide, particularly in China and Asia," it added. Samsung's smartphone market share in the second quarter jumped to 17.5 percent from five percent a year earlier, making its the world's second-biggest smartphone producer, the report added.
Nokia's market share meanwhile slumped to 15.2 percent from 38.1 percent during the second quarter last year, it said. "This is a tough year for the company," Nokia spokesman Doug Dawson told AFP on Friday. In terms of volume, Samsung sold 19.2 million smartphones in the second quarter, a whopping 519 percent increase from the second quarter in 2010. Apple took the top slot with 20.3 million smartphones sold, with Nokia surrendering the lead for the first time with just 16.7 million smartphone sales.
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