Samsung
has taken the lead over Apple during Q3 2011, according to mobile analyst firm
Juniper Research. 22 percent of 115 million smartphones shipped were from the
Korean giant, compared with Apple’s 15 percent.

While
Apple continues to find success with its premium iPhone range, its main rival,
Samsung is finding success with handsets at a range of price points. Flagship
model, the Galaxy S II has continued the success of the first generation
device, while compelling new smartphones including Galaxy Note (5.3″
display) are poised to shake-up the market.

However,
with Apple‘s iPhone 4S
selling 4 million in the first three days, Samsung will have to pull-out all
the stops to keep the Cupertino, CA-based company from re-taking top spot.

“While
the 4S is essentially an iPhone 4 with hardware upgrades, Siri is going to be a
killer app for Apple. And the continuation of the iPhone 4 and 3GS in effect
positions the company’s handsets at a range of price points, without losing
their premium image,” said Daniel Ashdown, research analyst with Juniper
Research.

Juniper
Research also finds that Taiwan-based HTC has doubled its shipments year-on-year in Q3 to 13.2 million overtaking
Blackberry-maker RIM (11.9 million, down 8 percent y-o-y).

Nokia’s
shipments improved q-o-q, after two successive declines. And with the company’s
first Windows Phone 7 handset coming out, things may be looking up for Nokia.
In Q3 the company shipped 16.8 million smartphones, up slightly from the 16.7
million in Q2.

By
Telecomlead.com Team
[email protected]