You know it’s kinda hard to talk the future of Android without throwing in the biggest Android manufacturer. Of course we are talking Samsung. Currently they are the #1 smartphone manufacturer, passing up Apple as well. Samsung has had a pretty successful 2012. Announcing the Galaxy S III in May and releasing it on 5 of the major US carriers throughout the Summer, and adding Metro PCS in the fall. Then in August, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Note II and releasing it through out the fall on 5 of the major US carriers including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular. So its by no surprise that they’ve sold as many as they have. Now what about 2013?
Well according to The Korea Times, Samsung has some plans for next year. According to The Korea Times, Samsung will ship over half a billion phones in 2013 and 390 of them will be smartphones.
“Of the 510 million handsets it plans to sell, 390 million are slated as smartphones and 120 million, feature and budget phones,” according to an executive from one of Samsung’s key suppliers. […]
Another source said that Samsung expects to manufacture 240 million devices at its Vietnamese factory, 170 million in China and 20 million in India to complement the 40 million to be produced in its Korean factory in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province. [Add all that up and we’re looking at 470 million units.]
Out of the 390 million smartphones they are expected to ship, most of them will be Android. Although Samsung has said they will be releasing a few Windows Phone 8 and TIZEN smart devices come 2013. But even then, Android will still be the top seller of their devices. But 2013 won’t be all fame and glory for the Korean manufacturer. According to the research firm Gartner:
The plan contrasts a previous outlook by leading market researcher Gartner, that predicted the Korean firm to sell between 250 million and 300 million smartphones next year. In 2011, Samsung sold 97.4 million smartphones, up from 23.9 million and 0.6 million in 2010 and 2009, respectively.
Gartner didn’t specifically state that they were referring to the 2013 flagship device the Galaxy S IV, we still expect the next in the Galaxy S lineup to do even better than the Galaxy S III did. But how can they top the highly successful Galaxy S III? So far they’ve already sold 30 million of them, and they are still flying off the shelf.
In 2012, the company is expected 420 million handsets, with 288 million being sold in the first 3 quarters, it’s quite possible that Sammy can make that 420 million mark. Especially with the Note II now on sale for all US carriers. We’ll learn more about their yearly sales in January when Samsung, and everyone else, releases their Q4 stats and their end-of-the-year financial stats as well.
So Samsung seems to be on top of the world right now. Is there anything that can stop them? Perhaps HTC, Motorola, LG, or Sony? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Korea Times