High tech and related industries abhor a day of business inactivity, brutally cracking down on any stagnation. It is worth one company to delay at least a week - and all the grandiose ideas with incarnations immediately appear from competitors, and yesterday's know-how turns into an outdated rudiment.
One of the clearest examples of this process can be seen in the reports of the international analytics agency Gartner, which published the rating of smartphone manufacturers (in the world) for 2013-2014. And if according to the report of 2013 it is clear that the first place went to Samsung, then next year Apple is in the lead by a wide margin. The Korean corporation managed to hold only 19.8% of the market the year before last.
Let's try to understand the reasons for such rapid changes in the mobile gadgets market, and also make a rating of smartphone manufacturers for the first half of 2016.
Smartphone market fluctuations
Last year, the situation on the market of smartphones and tablets deteriorated noticeably, not for the better for the leaders. The share of the main manufacturers is noticeably declining month after month, while the positions of competitors continuestrengthen, changing the ranking of smartphone companies literally before our eyes.
Moreover, small corporations are quite confidently pushing out venerable leaders from their homes, and the consumer, standing in front of a shop window, is increasingly looking at Chinese brands with similar technical characteristics and a noticeably reduced percentage of defects.
By and large, all mobile gadgets become just the same, and all critical differences can only be attributed to components and stuffing. In addition, if we look at the rating of Chinese smartphone companies, we will see that the products of these brands often change in terms of style and ergonomics, while Western firms try to preserve the individuality and unique face of each line and series. For the consumer, this moment is also important, but preferences and opinions on this matter (new or familiar old) were divided approximately equally.
Trends
Before voicing the rating of smartphone manufacturers, it would not be out of place to analyze the main trends in the mobile gadgets industry over the past year. The main fad that all brands without exception have added to their models is metal. Even Samsung, which has not touched this direction for years, has joined the race for metal with its flagship Galaxy S6 and A-series.
In second place is the trend of duplicating flagships, that is, the release of the main and more compact version of the gadget. Well, the obvious, as well as noticeably beloved among users, direction has becomewholesale facilitation of operating system interfaces. Developers are looking to lighten platforms that have been heavily overloaded with all sorts of elements over the years of progress. The latest models are rapidly getting rid of clutter in the operating system and slowly returning to the forgotten simplicity and ease of management.
So who are they - the best smartphone manufacturers? The ranking at the beginning of 2016 is as follows:
- Samsung.
- Apple.
- Microsoft Mobile.
- Lenovo.
- LG.
- Huawei.
- Xiaomi.
- ZTE.
- Sony.
- Micromax.
Let's analyze each participant in more detail. The list of the best companies was compiled based on the number of gadgets sold in 2015.
Micromax - 37.098 million pieces
The Indian corporation "Micromax" closes the rating of smartphone manufacturers. Over the past few months, the brand has weakened its position and given way to a venerable competitor.
Nevertheless, the sales results of the Indian industry leader are quite impressive, especially considering that the manufacturer is focused on producing models for the budget sector. Maybe this will deprive the brand of enviable profits, but the lack of round sums is compensated by the loy alty of consumers, who in the future will certainly look at the company's expensive flagships.
Sony - 37.791 million pieces
The eminent brand could not get into the general rating of smartphone manufacturers. The reason why the company was on the last lines of the list is quite simple. Among all presentedflagships from Sony, only the third generation managed to perfectly balance in all respects. This was the model Xperia Z3 and a smaller, but stylish understudy Z3 "Compact".
In recent months, the brand has lost a lot of fans of the classic "Sony Style", and the company has fallen on hard times in the mobile direction. Increasingly, rumors about the upcoming closure of this line of gadgets are leaking into the media.
But, nevertheless, if we look at the reliability rating of smartphone manufacturers, we will see that Sony has been confidently holding the leading position for many years. So sales are sales, and the brand is fully responsible for the quality.
ZTE - 53.910 million pieces
This company got into the rating of smartphone manufacturers due to close and fruitful cooperation with mobile operators. Remember, it is ZTE that supplies smartphones and phones to our cellular companies (MTS, Megafon and Beeline). The brand is also the main manufacturing partner for Fly, Explay and Keneksy OEMs.
By and large, ZTE is one of the largest players in the mobile gadgets market, and only at first glance it seems like a dark horse. And if you look at the rating of Chinese smartphone manufacturers, you can see that the company is confidently holding, if not in the first places, then in the top five for sure.
Xiaomi - 56.529 million pieces
This relatively young revolutionary was able to prove to the whole world that in the face of faith, truth and colossal patiencewith titanic tenacity, even the most powerful corporations will be helpless.
The President of Xiaomi and its founder believe that people should have high-tech devices at reasonable prices. This attitude has allowed the brand to sell more than 50 million gadgets in a year.
It would also be worth noting that Xiaomi has recently been the undisputed leader in the segment of mobile devices from Asian companies (the rating of Chinese smartphone manufacturers is a direct confirmation of this). In addition, the corporation earns colossal sums from its intelligently built services and other technological products. Most recently, the brand presented to the public an original and advanced action camera in many respects, and it cost four times cheaper than a similar GoPro in the most modest configuration, and this already says a lot.
Huawei - 70.499 million pieces
For a domestic consumer, the Huawei brand can easily get lost in the crowd of other Asian companies. But if you look on a larger scale, you can see that Huawei is one of the recognized leaders in the global mobile gadget industry. In addition to smartphones, tablets and other technological devices, the corporation is engaged in the design of 5G networks and closely cooperates with many key mobile operators in terms of communication equipment.
It is also worth noting that the company is included in the ranking of smartphone manufacturers in terms of quality and ranks far fromlast place. Apparently, therefore, the main volume of production is aimed at cooperation with mobile operators and various OEM brands.
LG - 76.096 million pieces
The incredible success of the LG G3 model and the subsequent release of lighter versions of this smartphone allowed the brand to significantly strengthen its position in the market of mobile gadgets and technological devices in general.
In just a couple of years, the company has not only grown up, stepping over the Optimus One rookie stage with a firm step, but also represents the current state of the industry as a technology leader. The past year has almost doubled the percentage of the brand in the market, displacing not only newcomers, but also the venerable Sony.
It would also not be out of place to note that the corporation is seriously engaged in the production of components for mobile gadgets, entering the rating of manufacturers of protective glasses for smartphones, and breaking into the top three at once.
Lenovo - 84.029 million pieces
After the Lenovo brand acquired from Google all the rights to Motorola, as well as a significant part of the production capacity, the doors to the North American markets opened, if not wide open, then very wide.
Following the results of the transaction and after some time, it became obvious that the corporation has firmly strengthened its position on a global scale and literally jumped over its closest competitors. The company continues to expand its influence in the mobile gadgets segment, and at the same time promotes the iconic Motorola brand in Europe and Asia.
Microsoft Mobile - 185.660 million units
If Lenovo bought the rights to Motorola, then Microsoft was able to absorb even such a monster as the Finnish Nokia, and, as they say, with all the giblets. As a result, mobile gadgets flooded the market, with an ambitious and powerful leader in the software industry in the rear. This state of affairs allowed the giant Microsoft to get an excellent basis for creating and promoting mobile devices running the new Windows 10.
With such an enviable portfolio and almost limitless opportunities, the company has been able to firmly establish itself in the third place in the ranking of smartphone manufacturers.
Apple - 191.426 million pieces
Just a year ago, the "apple" corporation made a very daring action, almost trampling all the basic principles of Steve Jobs. We are talking about bulky trendy models with screens of 4.7 and 5.5 inches. In addition to an enviable contract with the Chinese and a number of Asian countries, the gadgets have won stunning success all over the world.
The company can be called a phenomenon - an absolute record, stunning revenue and a brand capitalization of over 600 billion dollars. No manufacturer in the world could achieve such indicators. Apple is just firing heavy artillery at the industry, and few people can do anything about it. Moreover, the secret of such a stunning success of iPads and iPhones is simpler than ever: devices cost under a thousand US dollars, and other ways to enjoy the magnificentiOS 8, other than buying a gadget, the consumer simply does not.
Samsung - 392.546 million pieces
The Korean giant was able to sell almost 400 million smartphones last year, leading the ranking of mobile gadget manufacturers, and by a solid margin from other famous brands.
Producing devices on such a scale, of course, is costly, but more than a serious competitor breathes in the back of Samsung with its own, albeit expensive, but highly demanded equipment. The company from series to series improves its mobile gadgets. The latest novelty "Galaxy S6" and the A-line in an all-metal case may well compete with the "apples".
Summing up
Leaders in the mobile device segment are changing surprisingly quickly and unexpectedly. Just a year ago, we thought that Chinese gadgets were vague consumer goods from second-rate brands. But today's realities say quite the opposite, because a significant share of modern equipment is produced under the supervision of companies from the Middle Kingdom.
Yesterday's and nameless manufacturers are confidently and rather quickly taking away a market place from venerable corporations, releasing their own high-tech gadgets at budget prices. Now it is difficult to embarrass or offend a person by pointing to an unfamiliar logo on the body of the device. Yes, having an iPhone or a Samsung flagship is fashionable, but not as practical in terms of price and return.
If you want to buy an inexpensive mobile device without looking at solidity and brand, then it's betterlook at Chinese manufacturers. You need something in between - Sony, LG and Samsung to help you. In the assortment of these brands, you can always find some inexpensive and remarkable model for you. Well, if you want to emphasize your status with an expensive and at the same time high-quality gadget, then welcome to Apple.
