High technology and related industry does not tolerate a day of business passivity, brutally cracking down on any stagnation. It costs one company to delay at least a week - and all grandiose ideas with incarnations immediately appear in the competition, and yesterday's know-how turns into an outdated rudiment.
One of the vivid examples of such a process can be traced in the reports of the international analytics agency Gartner, which published a rating of smartphone manufacturers (in the world) for 2013-2014. And if according to the 2013 report it is clear that Samsung was the first, then next year Apple leads by a wide margin. The Korean corporation last year managed to keep only 19.8% of the market.
Let's try to understand the reasons for such rapid changes in the mobile gadget market, and also make a rating of smartphone manufacturers for the first half of 2016.
Smartphone Market Fluctuations
Last year, the situation on the smartphone and tablet market noticeably worsened not for the better for leaders. The share of major manufacturers is noticeably declining month after month, and the position of competitors continues to strengthen, changing the rating of smartphone manufacturers literally before our eyes.
Moreover, small corporations quite confidently crowd out venerable leaders from their homes, and the consumer, standing in front of the storefront, increasingly casts a glance at Chinese brands with similar technical characteristics and a markedly reduced percentage of rejects.
By and large, all mobile gadgets become just the same, and all the critical differences can only be attributed to components and filling. In addition, if you look at the rating of Chinese smartphone manufacturing companies , we will see that the products of these brands often change in terms of style and ergonomics, while Western companies are trying to preserve the individuality and unique face of each line and series. For the consumer, this point is also important, but preferences and opinions on this matter (new or familiar old) were divided approximately equally.
Trends
Before voicing the ranking of smartphone manufacturers, it will not be superfluous to analyze the main trends in the mobile gadget industry over the past year. The main point that all brands have added to their models is metal. Even Samsung, which has not touched this direction for years, has joined the race for metal with its flagship Galaxy S6 and A-series.
In second place is the trend for duplication of flagships, that is, the release of the main and more compact version of the gadget. Well, the obvious, and also noticeably loved by users, direction was the general facilitation of operating system interfaces. Developers seek to lighten platforms that have been heavily overloaded with all sorts of elements over the years of progress. The latest models are quickly getting rid of piles in the operating system and are slowly returning to the forgotten simplicity and ease of management.
So who are the best smartphone makers? The rating at the beginning of 2016 is as follows:
- Samsung.
- Apple
- Microsoft Mobile
- Lenovo.
- LG.
- Huawei.
- Xiaomi
- ZTE.
- Sony.
- Micromax.
We will analyze each participant in more detail. The list of the best companies was compiled from the calculation of the sold gadgets for 2015.
Micromax - 37.098 million units
Closes the ranking of manufacturers of smartphones, the Indian corporation Mikromaks. Over the past few months, the brand has weakened its position and given way to a venerable competitor.
Nevertheless, the sales results of the Indian industry leader are very impressive, especially when you consider that the manufacturer is focused on producing models for the public sector. Maybe this will deprive the brand of enviable profits, but the lack of round sums is compensated by the loyalty of consumers, who in the future will probably look at the company's expensive flagships.
Sony - 37.791 million units
The eminent brand might not get into the overall ranking of smartphone manufacturers. The reason why the company was on the last lines of the list is quite simple. Among all the presented flagships from Sony, only the third generation managed to be perfectly balanced in all respects. Such was the Xperia Z3 model and the smaller but stylish understudy Z3 Compact.
In recent months, the brand has lost a lot of fans of the classic Sony Style, and the company has not had the best of times in the mobile direction. More and more rumors are leaking into the media about the impending closure of this line of gadgets.
But, nevertheless, if you look at the reliability rating of smartphone manufacturers, we will see that Sony has been confidently holding the leading position for a year. So sales are sales, and the brand is fully responsible for quality.
ZTE - 53.910 million units
This company got into the ranking of smartphone manufacturers due to close and fruitful cooperation with mobile operators. Remember, it is ZTE that supplies our cellular companies with smartphones and phones (MTS, Megafon and Beeline). The brand is also the main manufacturing partner for the OEM company Fly, Explay and Keneksy.
By and large, ZTE is one of the largest players in the mobile gadget market, and only at first glance it seems like a dark horse. And if you look at the rating of Chinese smartphone manufacturers, you can see that the company is confidently holding, if not in the first places, then in the top five for sure.
Xiaomi - 56.529 million units
This relatively young revolutionary was able to prove to the whole world that even the most powerful corporations would be helpless in the face of faith, truth and colossal patience with titanic perseverance.
The president of Xiaomi and its founder believe that people should have high-tech devices at reasonable prices. This attitude has allowed the brand to sell more than 50 million gadgets in a year.
It will also be worthwhile to note that Xiaomi has recently been the permanent leader in the segment of mobile devices from Asian companies (the rating of Chinese smartphone manufacturers is a direct confirmation of this). In addition, the corporation earns huge sums of money from its intelligently built services and other high-tech products. Most recently, the brand presented to the public an original and advanced in many respects action camera, and it cost four times cheaper than the similar GoPro in the most modest configuration, and this already says a lot.
Huawei - 70.499 million units
For the domestic consumer, the Huawei brand can easily get lost in the crowd of other Asian companies. But if you look at a larger scale, you can see that Huawei is one of the recognized leaders in the global mobile gadget industry. In addition to smartphones, tablets and other technological devices, the corporation is engaged in the design of 5G networks and works closely with many key mobile operators in terms of communication equipment.
It is also worth noting that the company is included in the ranking of smartphone manufacturers in terms of quality and is far from the last place there. Apparently, therefore, the main volume of production is aimed at cooperation with mobile operators and various OEM brands.
LG - 76.096 million units
The incredible success of the LG G3 model and the subsequent release of more lightweight versions of this smartphone allowed the brand to significantly strengthen its position in the market of mobile gadgets and high-tech devices in general.
For some couple of years, the company has not only grown by stepping a solid step over the beginner stage of the Optimus One era, but it also represents the current state of the industry as a technology leader. The past year almost doubled the percentage presence of the brand in the market, crowding out not only newcomers, but also venerable Sony.
It will also not be superfluous to note that the corporation is seriously engaged in the production of components for mobile gadgets, entering the rating of manufacturers of protective glasses for smartphones, and having burst right into the top three.
Lenovo - 84.029 million units
After the Lenovo brand acquired all rights to Motorola from Google, as well as a significant part of the production capacity, the doors to the markets of North America opened, if not wide open, then very broadly.
As a result of the transaction and after some time, it became clear that the corporation had firmly strengthened its position on a global scale and literally jumped over its closest competitors. The company continues to expand its influence in the segment of mobile gadgets, and at the same time promotes the cult brand Motorola in Europe and Asia.
Microsoft Mobile - 185.660 million units
If Lenovo bought the rights to Motorola, then Microsoft was able to absorb even such a monster as the Finnish Nokia, and, as they say, with all its guts. As a result, mobile gadgets poured into the market, behind which there is an ambitious and powerful leader in the software industry. This state of things allowed the giant Microsoft to get an excellent basis for creating and promoting mobile devices running the new Windows 10.
With such an enviable portfolio and almost unlimited possibilities, the company was able to firmly establish itself in third place in the ranking of smartphone manufacturers.
Apple - 191.426 million units
Just a year ago, the "apple" corporation made a very daring action, almost trampling all the basic principles of Steve Jobs. We are talking about bulky trending models with screens of 4.7 and 5.5 inches. In addition to an enviable contract with the Chinese and several Asian countries, gadgets have gained stunning success around the world.
The company can be called a phenomenon - an absolute record, stunning revenue and brand capitalization of over $ 600 billion. Such indicators could not be achieved by any manufacturer in the world. Apple just shoots heavy artillery at the industry, and few can do anything about it. And the secret of such a stunning success of iPads and iPhones is simpler than ever: devices cost a thousand US dollars, and the consumer simply does not have other ways to enjoy gorgeous iOS 8, besides buying a gadget.
Samsung - 392.546 million units
The Korean giant was able to sell almost 400 million smartphones last year, topping the list of manufacturers of mobile gadgets, moreover, by a considerable margin from other famous brands.
Producing devices on such a scale is, naturally, expensive, but Samsung is breathing more than a serious competitor with its, albeit not cheap, but highly demanded equipment. The company is improving its mobile gadgets from series to series. The latest Galaxy S6 and the A-line in an all-metal casing can easily compete with the apples.
Summarizing
The leaders in the segment of mobile devices are changing surprisingly quickly and unexpectedly. Just a year ago, we thought Chinese gadgets were slurred consumer goods from second-rate brands. But today's realities say quite the opposite, because a significant share of modern technology is produced precisely under the supervision of companies from the Middle Kingdom.
Yesterday's and nameless manufacturers confidently and fairly quickly select a market place from venerable corporations, releasing their own high-tech gadgets at budget prices. Now it’s difficult to embarrass or insult a person by pointing to him an unfamiliar logo on the device’s body. Yes, it’s fashionable to have an iPhone or a flagship from Samsung, but not so practical in terms of price and return.
If you want to buy an inexpensive mobile device without regard to solidity and brand, then it is better to look at Chinese manufacturers. You need something in between - Sony, LG and Samsung to help you. In the assortment of these brands you can always find some inexpensive and noteworthy model for you. Well, if you want to emphasize your status with an expensive and at the same time high-quality gadget, then welcome to Apple.