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Should've Gone Android? Nokia surpasses HTC and Motorola in the USA

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VanMardigan

has calmed down a bit.
Nokia Becomes the Fourth Largest Brand in USA in 3rd Quarter

After years of struggle in one of the most premium and important smartphone market in the world, USA, Nokia is finally seeing its smartphone strategy and hard work bearing fruits. During Q3 2013, Nokia became the fourth largest smartphone brand capturing a record high 4% market share in a market which is a virtual duopoly dominated by Apple & Samsung.

According to our Market Monitor service, Apple & Samsung were in neck and neck capturing 33% market share each and together controlling almost two-thirds of the smartphone shipments during the pre-holiday season quarter. However, Apple led the market shipping slightly more iPhones than Samsung’s Galaxy range helped by the portfolio refresh with new iPhone 5s & 5c in September. iPhone 5s immediately became the best selling smartphone model in September . Meanwhile, LG maintained the third spot but saw its share dip slightly to 9% from 10% in Q2 2013.

On the other hand, the leading Windows Phone based smartphone manufacturer in the world, Nokia, captured the fourth spot for the first time since the iPhone launch, overtaking Motorola, HTC, BlackBerry, Huawei, ZTE & other brands. The key reason for this growth can be attributed to the big change in the Finnish vendor’s approach and go-to-market strategy towards selling its new phones in this highly operator-controlled US market compared to the less flexible attitude during the time when iPhone was launched. Nokia has thus in the last few years of post-Symbian transition has worked more closely with multiple operators offering them highly differentiated exclusive products with targeted and unique value propositions. This extra effort has helped Nokia steadily build its Lumia portfolio as well as win more shelf spaces at multiple carriers to reach at this inflection point.


to note, Nokia now has five Lumia models at AT&T and will add more (e.g. Lumia 1520), two models at Verizon Wireless, three models at T-Mobile and one model each at prepaid carriers - MetroPCS and Aio Wireless. Thus after a long time Nokia’s product portfolio looks broader,deeper and highly differentiated built by leveraging its head-turning design expertise, engineering experience, imaging, location, media assets along with Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, services and support.

Lumia 520/521& 920 were the top-selling models this quarter for Nokia followed by contributions from Lumia 925 & Lumia 928 at T-Mobile/AT&T and Verizon respectively. Looking forward, with its entry into the premium tablet & phablet space with Lumia 1520 and uniquely positioned Lumia 2520, Nokia should see its premium portfolio growing and help drive marketshare, valueshare and mindshare in the US market.

3cX4lK2.jpg
 
Good for them. Windows Phone is becoming an interesting platform.

Not quite on par with Android yet, but it's getting damn close. Those two will be fighting for the lead for quite a while once WP catches up.
 
I think it has less to do with Windows than with the Lumia line being really nice phones. Never heard any complaints from my friends who have them.
 

Matt_

World's #1 One Direction Fan: Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you~~~
Poor Sony doesn't even get it's own colour
 

LuchaShaq

Banned
I would use a windows phone over an iphone/android any day if it wasn't for the app selection.


Apple

A+ app store
F UI


Microsoft

F app store
A+ UI

Android
B App store
C+ UI
 
I know Nokia has a very cheap Lumia Phone that's like 100-150 unlock and it's on most carriers. 620/650 or something like that.
 

rezuth

Member
Nokia could've been #2, had they gone Android instead of Windows Phone.

No, they could never have competed with the flood of phones and low price margin. This is the only option that made sense for them to have a totally unique experience and phone.
 

Elchele

Member
Should have gone Android. Android lacks a good company like Nokia making great phones without BS like Samsung.
 

felipeko

Member
Yes, i think every company is jealous of Nokia's fire-sale to Microsoft.
No, they could never have competed with the flood of phones and low price margin. This is the only option that made sense for them to have a totally unique experience and phone.
This makes no sense at all. First, Nokia ASP is horrible ($186 last quarter), and secondly WP did not let Nokia really offer an unique experience, as Microsoft is the only one developing the software.
 
World's most popular Lumia, the $100 520/521, gets a successor. The new Lumia 525 looks like a mini 920.

Here's a leaked picture. Amazing phone with tons of amazing exclusive Nokia apps for offline maps, offline music, and the best suite of photography apps.

Lumia-525.jpg
 

kharma45

Member
World's most popular Lumia, the $100 520/521, gets a successor. The new Lumia 525 looks like a mini 920.

Here's a leaked picture. Amazing phone with tons of amazing exclusive Nokia apps for offline maps, offline music, and the best suite of photography apps.

Lumia-525.jpg

It's probably more likely they've just used the image of the 920 :lol
 

f0lken

Member
Yes, i think every company is jealous of Nokia's fire-sale to Microsoft.

This makes no sense at all. First, Nokia ASP is horrible ($186 last quarter), and secondly WP did not let Nokia really offer an unique experience, as Microsoft is the only one developing the software.

Well, the third biggest smartphone seller lost money on their mobile division, Sony sold more but still its mobile division lost money, HTC lol. Nokia is starting to make money and the trend is going up.

And given that Nokia makes more than 90% of Windows Phone sales I think they are offering a pretty unique experience. The OS still has a looooooong way to go but is positioning slowly in a lot of markets
 
Does this mean they will stop their carrier exclusivity for every single one of their flagships?
we'll see. that carrier exclusivity allowed the 920 (2nd best selling Lumia) to be sold at a low price of $449 off contract.

exclusivity isn't helping the 1020 though. even though ATT put some major money behind it.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
A. Caveat - I work at MS.
b. Nokia apps are amazing and their software output is stunning
c. Try win 8 phone before complaining about it
d. Nokia hardware is rad
 

Easy_G

Member
Poor HTC. Their phones were great at the start of Android and still seem to be. What happened? Hell, I'm typing this on my 3.5 year old Incredible.
 

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
A. Caveat - I work at MS.
b. Nokia apps are amazing and their software output is stunning
c. Try win 8 phone before complaining about it
d. Nokia hardware is rad

How much of what we consider Nokia is independent of Microsoft? I thought all of the devices part was sold to MSFT.
 
I can't lose the customizablility of Android, until apple and Windows catch up in this regard, it's a non option. I do wish Nokia made both.
 

YSSMAN

Neo Member
I'd be curious to know how a Nokia 1020 would feel running 4.4. The engineering guys at Nokia always have known how to build a great, solid feeling phone, but the software was a secondary issue. With the right OS, they could have had a big win. I don't entirely know if Android would have been a best bet - after all, it wasn't until very, very recently that it could go toe-to-toe with iOS.

Then again, I wax nostalgic for WebOS, and wish that would be given another go somewhere else.
 

Threi

notag
I would use a windows phone over an iphone/android any day if it wasn't for the app selection.


Apple

A+ app store
F UI


Microsoft

F app store
A+ UI

Android
B App store
C+ UI
I generally agree here, i'd bring Apple's ui to a C, and android's UI to a B or B+.
 
c. Try win 8 phone before complaining about it.

Battery life aside, I loved my Lumia. Problem was, the app ecosystem was absolutely awful.

Microsoft badly needed to moneyhat the most popular android / iphone apps so as to get equivalent versions in the early days... because now it's too late (I don't ever see them competing at Android / iOS levels).
 
I know you're messing around, and I know this might've been the case. But, would something like the 521 have been possible on Android?

With Android 4.4 it's supposed to be possible, yes. I'd say it's even most likely a direct reaction to the 52x.


The deal isn't through yet and both companies are working independently on their stuff.
 

Tapiozona

Banned
Battery life aside, I loved my Lumia. Problem was, the app ecosystem was absolutely awful.

Microsoft badly needed to moneyhat the most popular android / iphone apps so as to get equivalent versions in the early days... because now it's too late (I don't ever see them competing at Android / iOS levels).

Why couldn't they compete? As long as their market share increases (which it is far faster than any other OS) they'll continue to gain support from developers. I don't see how its too late so long as consistent growth continues.
 
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