The Galaxy S4 has already sold over 25 million units and is on its way to become one of the bestselling devices of the year. However, things are not all good. Samsung has revised its sales forecast for Q3, which is a first in 4 years. It is facing a still rivalry from other manufacturers not only in the budget segment, but also in the high-end category. Vendors like HTC, Sony and LG have strong devices out in the market that match the S4, if not better it, when it comes to the features offered as well as the hardware itself. So does this mean that the Samsung juggernaut is finally coming to a halt? The latest statistics show that it may be so.
A Strong Half-Year For Samsung
Confusion Rules On Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Sales, With Warning For iPhone 5S
Samsung has been slowly eating away Nokia’s market share over the years, and has been crowned as the number one handset vendor in terms of units sold last year. The trend continued into this year as Samsung managed to sell over 64 million units during Q1 2013, beating other manufacturers by a country mile. Samsung accounted for 30% of the worldwide market share, and a staggering 95% of the profits generated by Android. The first quarter saw the Korean manufacturer launching this year’s flagship, the Galaxy S4, which ensured that sales would continue to be strong during the second quarter, as we can see below.
The Galaxy S4 contributed a lot toward the strong sales figures, as the device sold over 10 million units in the first month of its launch. As you can see from the figures, manufacturers like HTC and Sony do not even figure in this list. That is a worrisome fact as the HTC One has been regarded as a far better device than the Galaxy S4. However, HTC was faced with a lot of manufacturing delays that saw the vendor only making the HTC One available in global markets a full 2 months after the S4 was launched, making it lose a lot of ground before even launching.
A Weak Year Thus Far For HTC
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While the sales figures for HTC may be a little disconcerting, all is not lost yet. The Taiwanese manufacturer has gotten its act together in the last few months and has managed to sell enough devices to become a threat to the likes of Samsung. Let’s take a look at how the year started out HTC. Its Q1 profits were just $2.88 million USD, which was the lowest the manufacturer has seen since 2004. Then the vendor saw a mass exodus of its executive staff, mainly from the research divisions.
It has since managed to do slightly better in Q2 2013, netting $41.6 million USD. Although it is a significant increase from the numbers it put out in Q1 29013, they pale when seen against the $246 million USD profit it achieved during Q2 2012. What is clear is that this has been one of the most difficult years for the manufacturer.
HTC Is Turning Things Around
HTC One vs Samsung Galaxy S4
Whatever issues it has faced in the first 2 quarters of 2013, it looks like those days are behind. HTC has named Robert Downey Jr. as its global ambassador in a deal that is allegedly worth $12 million USD. Also, it has 2 devices that are going to be launched in August, the first of which is the HTC One Mini. The One Mini contains the same great design as the One in a smaller chassis. The One mini should be targeted at the mid-range segment and should be a great buy for consumers.
HTC is also likely working on a 5.9-inch One Max that features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800. Details regarding this device are not yet fully available, but it should be aimed at the Phablet segment and should launch at the same time as Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3. This device should be priced near the $800 USD (INR 50,000) price range, citing the fact that the HTC One price in India is already $650 USD (INR 40,000) and a bigger screen and bigger battery means increased price tag.
