Global handset shipments rose 13 percent to 308 million units in the second-quarter of the year, according to new figures from Strategy Analytics. The firm cited lower-end 2G models in emerging markets, particularly South America, and high-end 3G touchscreen devices in mature regions as driving growth during the quarter. The growth rate was slower than the +17 percent YoY average over the previous two quarters, but well above the -8 percent annual rate recorded in 2Q09. “There are no credible signs yet of any major double-dip downturn in the handset industry, but that could of course quickly change if overall economic conditions were to deteriorate again across the major markets of North America, Western Europe and Asia in the coming months,” said the firm in a statement. It forecast that 325 million handsets will be shipped worldwide in the current quarter (3Q10), which would represent annual growth of 12 percent.

Source: Strategy Analytics (July 2010)

Among the top-five brands, RIM and Samsung outperformed their major rivals, which Strategy Analytics attributed to “robust demand” for their QWERTY phones and touchphones. Samsung grew its market share to 21 percent share, while RIM maintained fourth position on 3.6 percent, the same as Sony Ericsson. Market-leader Nokia shipped a slightly lower-than-expected 111.1 million handsets worldwide in Q2 2010, growing 8 percent annually, slightly below the industry average. Apple just failed to make the top five, but its global marketshare has edged up from 2 percent in 2Q09 to almost 3 percent in 2Q10.