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Samsung may catch Nokia in mobile phone shipments in 2011

Categories: Android, Samsung
By: , IntoMobile
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010 at 7:17 AM

Samsung has a huge presence in mobile devices in the U.S., but perhaps it might grow even bigger worldwide. A rumor going around about Samsung’s goals in 2011 include shipping 330 million phones globally, which would be right up there with Nokia who shipped 110 million smartphones this past summer. By shipping that many mobile devices, Samsung would be pushing an 18% increase over this year’s shipments, which will be an estimated 280 million.

The electronics manufacturer is already the top Android handset manufacturer in the U.S. thanks to its Galaxy S series of devices available on every major carrier. By increasing its shipments for 2011, Samsung will only cement its spot in the U.S. next year, and perhaps even take the number one spot globally next year for Android depending on what percentage of the projected 330 million will be Google devices.

However, it seems that Samsung might take the route it always has and focus primarily on low-end mobile phones:

Low-end smartphones would be a focus in 2011, the official said, and would represent about 30 million phones. Devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab would account for about 20 million units, helped in part by a 10-inch model.

It looks like next year is going to be a big one for Samsung, and perhaps in terms of sheer volume may even be a threat to Nokia. The latter will be releasing new smartphones with the MeeGo platform, and I’d imagine the focus would be only quality versus volume.

Things are looking up for the Korean manufacturer, who is handily beating its counterpart, LG, as it even worked very closely with Google on the successor to the Nexus One, the Nexus S. The device will be the first with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and is slated to be released December 16. Be sure to check out our guide here for everything you could possibly want to know about the Nexus S and the latest iteration of Android.

[Via: Electronista]

About The Author

Marc Flores

Marc has been a mobile fanatic for the better part of a decade and has had more devices pass through his hands than he would care to count. Originally from Los Angeles and briefly in San Francisco, Marc now lives in Brooklyn where, unlike Will Park, he longs for simpler times and simpler technology. All the while, he writes about gadgets and wireless technology as he tinkers, hacks and ultimately breaks most of his gadgets in the process. Marc has written about the mobile industry for Boy Genius Report, MobileCrunch, Laptop Magazine and has had his work appear in the Wall Street Journal, Gizmodo, CrunchGear and more.