SMARTPHONE SPECIAL ......10 biggest smartphone companies of the world

10 biggest smartphone companies of the world





The global smartphone market has a new king -Apple. The iPhone-maker has made a comeback at the top spot after five years, beating Samsung. The South Korean giant has been pushed to second spot in global rankings. Wonder who are the other key players in the world's smartphone market? Read on to find out the world's 10 biggest smartphone companies.

1. Apple

Apple made a comeback to the top spot, thanks largely to the success of the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Apple shipped a record 78.3 million units in the fourth quarter, up 4.7 per cent from the same quarter one year ago. Although the iPhone 7 did not feature a drastically different design from its predecessor, it did bring yet another significantly improved processor, more robust camera, water resistance, and new colourfinish options.

2. Samsung

Samsung dropped to second in the worldwide smartphone market with shipments declining 5.2 per cent compared to last year. Despite the Note 7 debacle and growing pressure from Chinese vendors, Samsung still managed to find success with its S7 and popular J-series of devices in numerous markets. The challenging quarter did bring its worldwide market share below 20 per cent for the first time in over four years, leaving no better time for the pending arrival of its next flagship product, the Galaxy S8.

3. OnePlus

Shenzhen-headquartered smartphone brand OnePlus is another prominent player in the market. The company is known for its mid-range smartphones, which it calls `flagship killers'. It recently opened its experience centre in Bengaluru. In November 2016, it launched the successor to its OnePlus 3 smartphone, OnePlus 3T.

4. Huawei

The Chinese smartphone brand retained the number three position while gaining worldwide market share.Huawei shipped 45.4 million units in Q2-2016, up 38.6 per cent from the 32.7 million shipped in the fourth quarter of 2015. The P series and Honor sub-brand drove essential volume in China as well as other countries in Asia and beyond. With proven success in China and many European countries, Huawei now has its sights set on the US.

5. Oppo

Oppo continued its push to reach the top of the market with its fourth straight quarter of greater than 100 per cent year-over-year growth.The focus for Oppo over the past year has been international expansion outside China and so far it has been successful at this. Southeast Asia and India have been the focal points for Oppo's growth in 2016 supported by intense marketing campaigns and new product launches.

6. Vivo

Vivo remained the number five vendor with 24.7 million smartphones shipped in the last quarter. The majority of the shipments continue to be in China, and much like Oppo, Vivo has been aggressive with its marketing in a number of countries in Asia as it looks to extend its global reach. Vivo too saw a growth of 103 per cent in smartphone shipment numbers as compared to the same quarter last year.

7. Xiaomi

Xiaomi made a comeback in the Indian smartphone market in the year 2016. The compa ny's flagship smartphones Mi 5 along with `value-formoney budget' offering Redmi Note 3 did manage good sales numbers in India.

8. Lenovo

Chinese smartphone maker Lenovo lost its position in the top five globally, though the company continues to do well in the Indian market. The company recently launched the world's first Google Tango-based smartphone, Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, in India. Lenovo's subsidiary Motorola too s aw a go o d g row th in India and other markets.

9. LG

LG took everyone by surprise this year by launching an allmodular flagship smartphone, the LG G5. The handset, however, failed to bring desired results for the company.

10. Sony

Sony confirmed that it will only sell premium smartphones in India and other select countries. The Japanese company recently launched its Xperia XZ smartphone. Sony faces a tough fight this year as it plans to focus only on high-end devices in the country.

TOI Tech