Samsung infographic

Samsung shipped a hell of a lot of phones last year, and a bunch of them were smart phones -- 213,000,000 according to their latest infographic. That's a number which equates to over 30-percent of all smart phones shipped in 2012, and as we see is more than the total population of Brazil.

Samsung of course hopes to keep this trend going into 2013, with new releases like the Galaxy Note 8.0 and the upcoming Galaxy S4, as well as the multitude of entry-level phones and tablets for emerging markets. We'll have to see if this strategy works for them as well this year as it did in the last.


Reader comments

Samsung touts market share, infographic style


Very suspicious article by Wall Street Journal but the bottom line here is Samsung has earned it's standing within the android platform. They innovate and bring software and features as well as good services to it's customers who they cater too. In my mind Google has lost it's way and has forgotten where android came from and what it was founded on. Samsung bring external sdcard storage and removable batteries which Samsung customers demand and expect. Meanwhile Google is trying to force customers to the cloud with lack of storage and choice with it's dull boring Nexus line of devices. Android was founded on these things and now Google has become Apple trying to tell us the customers what we need. Samsung is on the right track and the market share proves exactly my point. Samsung earned that standing with hard work and innovative products for three years. We won't even discuss all the other area's of products i have made by Samsung ie my 50 inch tv, and refrigerator. Credit is due to Samsung and Google should be happy of that success matter of fact they have benefited from that success these last three years both have.

Not everyone gives a rat's ass about microsd cards or removable batteries. After all those two things are just bandaids to cover for the failing to adequately spec the phones in the first place.

In any case, a monoculture is not good for Android.

You're right, not everyone cares. But it looks like about 200+ Million do. So it looks like the wise thing to do for Samsung. And I do agree that a monoculture is not good. Which is why Moto and HTC need to get off their dead a**es and start producing GOOD phones, with adequate marketing to make people aware. So far, Samsung is the only manufacturer who has shown they have the courage to stand up to Apple. If Moto and HTC would put some $$ into their marketing, Android would be doing even better than they already are thanks to Samsung. If it wasn't for Samsung, Android would still be considered by many to be less of an OS. Samsung has put in the money to make put it in front of people and show them what it's capable of.

To each their own, I actually think Google's pure Android is the correct way and Samsung has lost their way. I interpret their "features" as simply being useless, bloatware that slows down the phone, their features attempt to sound good for the wow factor but ultimately do nothing practical, like Apple. Samsung is also telling me to like the physical home button and forcing me down their route, when I hate it, and prefer on screen buttons. How about the S4 being 5"? Is that what people want? Or are they telling us it's what we want? ;-) I love the Nexus line, I have 4/7/10 - gave the S3 away for the Nexus 4.

Exactly, I prefer Pure Android, and I'm probably going to get the Motorola X phone, and hopefully when my vzw contract is up in 10 months I'll be able to Join the Dish/ Google carrier.

It's not Samsung's fault that LG HTC won't fix their skinned software, and they barely update android. Samsung is minimizing their skin and trying to update phones to current os updates. But now that Google will be using Motorola to push their Ideas and innovation for themselves, instead of giving it away for free, I expect Motorola to really take off again. Google can now flex innovation for themselves and profit from it through Moto, as well as innovate for their Android partners.

In my experience Samsungs products are not that great. My Samsung TV is less then three years old and the inputs in the back are falling apart. The sound quality is not good at all, and the screen is just OK.

Next the Galaxy Nexus. The radios were horrible, samoled screen are ugly. Mine had blue ghosting problems and ugly whites. None of these are Google's fault.

Next, lack of SdCards and removable batteries are all personal preference. I haven't used SD cards in years, and never had to change batteries on the fly.

Samsung has just about all of the profit among all Android handset makers, and there's likely no change coming soon. Yeah, that just might be a problem.

I'm guessing the grey dots are just for looks or all the Samsung phones sold in Australia are sitting out in the middle of the desert and not in the populated areas near the coasts