Strategy Analytics

Samsung’s Galaxy S III was the world’s best-selling smartphone in Q3

Following a massive retail and advertising push, Samsung's flagship Galaxy S III handset overtook Apple's iPhone 4S as the world's best-selling smartphone in the third quarter of this year, according to a Strategy Analytics survey. The Samsung phone sold an estimated 1.8 million units more than the iPhone 4S. Samsung's lead will be short-lived as Strategy Analytics estimates that the iPhone 5 will become the world’s #1 smartphone in Q4.

Analysts previously estimated that the S III outsold the iPhone 4S, but only in the United States. Samsung stopped reporting device sales last year for competitive reasons and we also don't know how many of the 18 million S III channel shipments ended up in customers hands. Still, that's a nice accomplishment for Samsung, which earlier in the week confirmed beating its self-imposed goal of shipping 30 million S III units before year's end...

Android grabs 41 percent of tablet market as Apple’s share falls

Can the iPad mini save Apple's slipping lead in tablet sales? The could be the question of the day as researchers announce Apple's share of the tablet market dropped to 56.7 percent while Android tablets now account for 41 percent of the worldwide market.

According to Strategy Analytics, the iPad's lead eroded from the 64.5 percent it held during the third quarter of 2011. Meanwhile, an army of Android tablets, helped by Apple losses, rose to 41.3 percent of the market, up from 29.2 percent during the same period last year...

There are now more than a billion smartphones in use

With smartphone penetration rate in the United States and in various other markets recently passing the 50 percent milestone, the number of active smartphones in use globally has hit a major milestone of more than one billion units. So-called feature and dumb phones just a couple years back used to dominate the landscape and sales. It all changed with the January 2007 introduction of the iPhone, which renewed interest in smartphones and fueled demand that hasn't slowed since. And according to a Strategy Analytics forecast, the number of smartphones in active use could double by 2015...

Android peaking in US as iOS gains ground

Strategy Analytics is out with a new survey this morning suggesting that device unit sales and market share for Google's Android platform in the United States has declined during the second quarter of this year as devices powered by Apple's iOS software continue to gain ground...

iPad grows lead over Android tablets

Apple's iPad continues to dominate the tablet market, accounting for more than two out of three tablets sold during the second quarter of this year, per market research firm Strategy Analytics. Specifically, the iPad rose from 62 percent in the year-ago quarter to 68 percent global market share, which the research firm says is its highest level for almost two years. So not only did Apple retain the iPad's sizable lead, it's also managed to grow by six percentage points...