HELSINKI, Jan 18 (Reuters) – Samsung and Apple
pulled ahead in the global smartphone race last
quarter, according to forecasts by analysts in a Reuters poll,
while Nokia and others are expected to have fallen
further behind.
Overall shipments of handsets are expected to have risen in
the fourth quarter, with most of that growth dominated by
Samsung. Analysts forecast the South Korean company shipped 61
million smart devices, up 71 percent from a year earlier.
Samsung forecast earlier this month that it expected to earn
a quarterly profit of $8.3 billion on strong sales of its Galaxy
handsets as well as solid demand for flat screens used in mobile
devices. Samsung’s full results are due by Jan 25.
While some are wary that Samsung’s momentum may slow in
coming quarters owing to market saturation, it is still expected
to outpace Apple as sales of the new iPhone 5 appear slightly
weaker than originally forecast.
Apple is forecast to have shipped 46 million iPhones in the
quarter, up 25 percent from a year earlier, according to the
poll.
Shares in Apple dipped below $500 earlier this week for the
first time in almost a year after reports it was slashing orders
for screens and other components as intensifying competition
eroded demand for the new iPhone.
The poll showed analysts expect Apple’s full-year shipments
to grow to 167 million this year from 134 million in 2012, while
Samsung’s shipments are expected to grow to 283 million
smartphones in 2013 compared to 210 million in 2012.
NOKIA, RIM AIM TO CATCH UP
Nokia, once the world’s biggest handset maker, is expected
to have lost more market share. It is now pinning its recovery
hopes on Lumia smartphones, which use Microsoft’s Windows Phone
software.
Analysts forecast Nokia’s fourth-quarter shipments of mobile
phones fell 15 percent to 80 million units while those of
smartphones, including Lumias, fell 65 percent to 7 million
units.
Nokia last week said it sold around 4.4 million Lumia
handsets in the fourth quarter. Full results are due on Jan 24,
and analysts are anxious to hear whether Nokia is confident that
Lumia sales will continue to grow in coming quarters.
BlackBerry-maker RIM, another handset maker struggling to
claw back market share, is expected to report a 30 percent fall
in fourth-quarter shipments to 7 million units, the poll showed.
RIM is to launch new BlackBerry 10 smartphones later this
month. The poll showed, however, that analysts expect its
full-year sales to fall to around 30 million in 2013 from 33
million in 2012.
(Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Sophie Walker)
