article: Samsung retook the lead in the global smartphone market in the first quarter, as gains in emerging market sales helped it overtake Apple, a research group said Wednesday. IDC said Samsung sold 82.4 million smartphones in the first three months of the year, for a 24.5 percent market share. However, Samsung said its first quarter net profit plunged 39 percent as consumers switched to bigger iPhones, squeezing earnings from its mobile business to less than half what they were a year earlier. Samsung retook the lead in the global smartphone market in the first quarter, as gains in emerging market sales helped it overtake Apple, a research group said ©Jung Yeon-Je (AFP/File) Samsung sold 82.4m smartphones in the first three months of the year, for a 24.5 percent market share. Apple held an 18.2 percent market share after selling 61.2 million iPhones. Even though the number of handsets sold was down seven percent from a year ago, it outpaced Apple, whose iPhone sales slipped slightly from the final quarter of 2014. Apple held an 18.2 percent market share in early 2015 after selling 61.2 million iPhones. The figures were impacted by seasonal and other factors. Samsung notably launched its flagship Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge phones at the end of the quarter in April, while Apple iPhone sales dipped compared with the stronger holiday quarter. In the fourth quarter, Apple and Samsung were virtually tied with around 20 percent of the market each, according to several surveys. 'The challenge made by Apple for the top spot in the fourth quarter returned to a clear lead for Samsung in the first quarter, despite the soaring global demand for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus,' said IDC analyst Anthony Scarsella. 'Samsung's shipments, given that the S6 was not launched into the market for the full quarter, were driven by large volumes into emerging markets and steady demand for its midrange and lower-priced smartphones.' Chinese manufacturer Lenovo was third after completing its acquisition of Motorola from Google. Its 5.6 percent market share placed it ahead of fellow Chinese group Huawei, with 5.0 percent, and South Korea's LG at 4.6 percent. IDC said the overall global smartphone market grew 16.7 percent from a year earlier, with total shipments of 337 million units. 'Apple soared 40 percent annually... Apple's new iPhone 6 portfolio is flying off the shelves in China and the United States, its two biggest markets,' said Neil Mawston at Strategy Analytics ©Peter Parks (AFP/File) Strategy Analytics, which released a similar report, said the figures show Apple is a 'star' performer because it posted strong sales compared with the same period last year. 'Apple soared 40 percent annually... Apple's new iPhone 6 portfolio is flying off the shelves in China and the United States, its two biggest markets,' said Neil Mawston at Strategy Analytics. Microsoft meanwhile struggled as it took over the Nokia brand of mobile phones, once the world's biggest, according to the research firm. Figures for Microsoft smartphone sales were not included in the two surveys but the company said it sold 8.6 million Lumia handsets in the quarter, only about half the total of Huawei. Samsung notably launched its flagship Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge phones at the end of the quarter in April, while Apple iPhone sales dipped compared with the stronger holiday quarter ©Manan Vatsyayana (AFP/File) In the broader market, 'Microsoft's eight percent global mobile phone market share is sitting near an all-time low,' said Ken Hyers at Strategy Analytics. 'Microsoft continues to lose ground in feature phones, while its Lumia smartphone portfolio is in a holding pattern awaiting the launch of new Windows 10 software later this year.' Juniper Research said meanwhile it expects Samsung's performance to improve in the coming months because 'the S6 and the S6 Edge have had a better reception than the S5.' Juniper said BlackBerry lost further ground, delivering just 1.5 million handsets in the quarter. It came as Samsung Electronics Co. said its first quarter net profit plunged 39 percent as consumers switched to bigger iPhones, squeezing earnings from its mobile business to less than half what they were a year earlier. The company reported Wednesday that its January-March net profit was 4.63 trillion won ($4.35 billion), compared with 7.49 trillion won a year earlier. That was lower than the forecast of 4.97 trillion won in a survey of analysts by financial data provider FactSet. The larger-than-expected drop was due to a big profit plunge in Samsung's mobile business. The maker of Galaxy smartphones said its mobile division generated 2.74 trillion won in quarterly profit compared with 6.43 trillion won a year earlier. The Korean firm lost ground in the more profitable high-end market to Apple after the maker of the iPhone began offering models with bigger screens last fall. Before that, large screens were a feature that set Samsung phones apart. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
highlights: Samsung sold 82.4m smartphones in the first three months of the year, for a 24.5 percent market share .
  Apple held an 18.2 percent market share after selling 61.2 million iPhones .
  Apple and Samsung virtually tied with 20%of the market in latest quarter .
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