700 million smartphones were shipped in 2012

According to Strategy Analytics, 700 million smartphones were shipped last year, with Samsung and Apple selling the most.

“Samsung and Apple together accounted for half of all smartphones shipped worldwide in 2012. Large marketing budgets, extensive distribution channels and attractive product portfolios have enabled Samsung and Apple to tighten their grip on the smartphone industry,” Strategy Analytics wrote in a blog post. “The growth of Samsung and Apple has continued to impact Nokia. Nokia retained its position as the world’s third largest smartphone vendor for full-year 2012, but its global marketshare has dropped sharply from 16 percent to five percent during the past year. Nokia’s Windows Phone portfolio has improved significantly in recent months, with new models like the Lumia 920, but we believe the vendor still lacks a true hero model in its range that can be considered an Apple iPhone or Samsung S3 killer.”

Samsung shipped 213 million phones according to Strategy Analytics, while Apple shipped slightly less at 135.8 million. Nokia who came in third place was quite far behind, only shipping 35 million smartphones in 2012. This saw Samsung account for 30.4% of shipments, Apple 19.4% and Nokia 5% of mobile phone shipments last year.

“Apple had a strong year in developed regions like North America, but this was offset partly by its limited presence in high-growth emerging markets such as Africa,” Strategy Analytics concluded.