Samsung will become the world’s largest smartphone maker this quarter, overtaking struggling Nokia after 14 years.
In the next quarter, analyst firm Nomura also sees Apple overtaking Nokia and pushing it to third.
“In 1996 Nokia launched the Communicator and the smartphone market that it has led in unit terms ever since. After about 14 years at the top, Nokia looks set to relinquish its smartphone crown,” Nomura analysts said in a research note.
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Nokia has lost initiative in the smartphone market to Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android devices, and at the lower end, to more nimble Asian rivals. In terms of mobile operating systems, Android overtook Nokia’s Symbian at the beginning of the year.
However, Nokia still makes more phones than Samsung due to its strong position in basic mobiles and its wider distribution network in emerging countries.
The company is switching to Microsoft’s software from its own Symbian platform as part of an overhaul of its phone business set out in February by new Chief Executive Stephen Elop.
On 31 May, Nokia abandoned hope of meeting key targets just weeks after setting them, raising questions over whether its new boss can deliver on the turnaround he promised.
For more on Nokia’s struggles, pick up the next issue of PC Pro, on sale Thursday.
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