The number of smartphone shipments reached almost 200 million in the first quarter of 2013, representing a growth of 30 per cent over the same period of 2012, a report said.

Samsung increased its smartphone market share by shipping an estimated 68 million smartphones and accounting for approximately 34 per cent of all smartphone shipments in the quarter, added the study by leading mobile analyst firm Juniper Research.

Samsung announced a steady pace in sales of the Galaxy SIII, and improved sales of the Note II for the quarter, the report said.

Despite profits falling for the first time in a decade for Apple, the Cupertino based company posted better than expected iPhone sales at around 37.4 million, a 7 per cent growth compared to the first quarter of 2012.

With another product cycle due to be released soon Apple needs to innovate, with the next product release being critical in maintaining their position as innovation leaders, according to Juniper Research.

Apple will also need to ensure that they are attractive to emerging markets to retain their title as global brand leaders, it noted.

LG posted its highest ever smartphones sales quarter, shipping 10.3 million in the first quarter of 2013, driven by sales of the Optimus G and Nexus 4. The company improved its smartphone market share from last quarter to reach just over 5 per cent.

Huawei, which previously posted impressive sales in 2012 with the introduction of a range of new smartphones and tablets, shipped an estimated 10 million smartphones. The company along with ZTE accounted for approximately 10 per cent of the shipments market.

Nokia shipped 6.1 million smart devices in the fourth quarter and posted higher Lumia sales of 5.6 million compared to the previous quarter, a 27 per cent rise.

BlackBerry’s (previously RIM) recent results – which run to a different financial schedule – are expected to account for almost 6 million smartphone shipments for 2013 first quarter. The Canadian company sold one million new Blackberry 10 devices.

Despite a positive start, the BlackBerry and Nokia ecosystem will indeed need some more time to grow and drive further competition and innovation within the smartphone and OS marketplace, said the study. – TradeArabia News Service