Nokia no longer the top dog in Finland; Samsung smiles

The International Data Corporation (IDC) revealed in recent figures that Nokia has lost its spot as Finland’s top mobile phone seller. Samsung has pulled into first place with its 36.1% market share, while Nokia currently sits in second place with 33.6%. Last year, Nokia controlled a strong 48% compared to Samsung’s 28%.

A research director at the IDC sat down with The Wall Street Journal to discuss the astonishing market drop for Nokia; the company stated that Nokia’s sales are almost a 50/50 split of smartphones and “dumbphones”. This data is in contrast to Samsung who pushes smartphones at a unit rate of 80%.

It should be noted that Nokia is introducing low priced phones such as the Asha 501 that draw a thin line between smartphones and their lesser counterparts; this might cause some confusion as to recent smartphone statistics for Nokia.

Despite Nokia losing their own domestic market, the company did have record breaking sales for its Lumia smartphones in Q1; the company’s Windows Phones are picking up sales in European markets, but struggling in the US market.

Do you think this is a devastating loss for Nokia or just a hiccup?

Sources: The Verge, DigiToday Finland

Michael Archambault
95 Comments
  • That's not very strange.. Nokia is still recovering, while Samsung can go rampage in any country it wants. But I'm sure Samsung's reign won't last very long, judging by Nokia's strong rebirth. Lumia is becoming a fashion/bragging statement in Finland, while Samsung is more for the ordinary.
  • Agreed. Although its disheartening to hear my friends lust over the newest Samsung product. Hoping Nokia finds the love it deserves. I couldn't imagine choosing the Galaxy IV over an Nokia 928 :/
  • ^This^
  • If only Microsoft would give them the software to go with their innovative hardware they could push harder. But they have to wait for that crack team of WP devs at Redmond to add complex features like separate volume controls......
  • I fear that one volume control is a deliberate choice. Windows Phone is about simplicity. And the team behind Metrotube also said that they originally had a seperate volume control within their app. But during a design discussion with MS they decide to remove it. Which I can understand if every app has its own volume control then it gets messy. However music/entertainment volume should not be tied to core phone alarms. Missing such a basic feature is why WP doesnt meet expectations of many consumers. Perhaps they can get used to having one volume control but they expect something else.
  • +1. People are not stupid and can separate between the ringtone volume and media volume. The volume control issue is the biggest issue WP has and it would be super simple to fix. 
  • Exactly, this, a bazillion times this! It's a fcking joke that 6 months after WP8, all Microsoft added for their next update is an FM radio control, and an ugly one at that. Nokia adds more innovation and apps every three months than Microsoft has added to the Windows Phone platform in the past 18 months. They are running after all the holes that Microsoft has left open and would never bother to fill, like a sailor in a submarine that is filling with water. The problem with WP is not WP itself, it is very fixable, but that Microsoft doesn't stand behind their product and doesn't care for it and puts absolutely NO effort into it. I thought WP was a real effort by Microsoft, but it looks like really it is just the same old small WM team, just operating under a new graphic design. I would not be surprised to see that Nokia adds a notification center on the left swipe, like the one on the Fastlane UI for the Asha 501, in the Fall release update.
     
    I can't even recommend a Lumia to friends who are looking for a phone because of WP. They don't care about a million Apps (like anyone would download them -.-), all they need is a solid device that handles all of their contacts and calender natively perfectly easy, and that has 100% perfectly functioning Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram Apps, and Maps that work well and find what they need. 3 years after release, Windows Phone still doesn't offer any of that. Is that too much to do? Seriously?
     
    WhatsApp works like a pos and adds that stupid streaming sht which erases your music playlist - Nope, no sale.
     
    Facebook App is crap - Nope, again no sale.
     
    Calender doesn't accept a simple google calender login (not atgmail.com, but under a different email adress, but still a google calender), and the calenders it does accept are shown in a worse way than on the old N95 Symbian Phones, where you had a proper agenda at a glance on your homescreen - Nope.
     
    Instagram is not available (And I don't care if you use it or not, I don't because it's not available on my WP, but people DO use it and expect to have it on their phone) - Nope.
     
    Twitter... please - Nope.
     
    Maps work like sht. On my Computer, when I search for something in Google Maps it seaches in the town I am in, not in the other end of the world or across the country - wtf is that? I search for something, and it shows me a town by that name somewhere in America...wtf is that? - Nope, can not recommend to people to satisfy their needs.
     
    Also, the Browser is holding it back bigtime. Yeah yeah, sunspider score blabla... look at the relevant things, like the time it takes a WP with a 1.5Ghz Krait to complete Mozillas Kraken, and a same equipped Android phone, and the iPhone with a lower clocked processor - that just shows you how good a browser is and which browser is bad. And every other benchmark that tests the behaviour in rich website environments. They should just let others like Firefox and Opera make a browser for WP, so that people have an alternative. Also, the fact that other Apps can't integrate into the phone, like for example "Pocket". It's a joke, nothing else but a joke. That's why "iPhone is better", because it does things, while WP does nothing. It also has proper volume controls for ringers and alarms. And a gazillion other things.
     
    I feel like a dick when I hear people, who I recommended a WP to in the past, complain about their phones. Realistically, they would've been better off the past year (and the future from todays point) if they had gotten any dual-core Android or iPhone 4/4S back then, instead of what I recommended to them. At this point, WP is not more useable as a smartphone than the Asha 501. The only thing that one lacks is proper hardware (processors, display, camera etc), but it's OS is already more usable than WP. I am tempted by the Lumia 925 and the now pretty affordable (380€) Lumia 920 and 820 (290€), but if I just remember how I have to press "Stop the music!" every time I exit WhatsApp, like a conditioned lab-monkey, I get dizzy from frustration over what a collosal fuck up this whole OS is.
  • OMG.. Did u take ur meds??
  • Fair question. If I am not satisfied by something that you like´, and critisize it, I must obviously be mentally ill.
  • Wow, dude....so much negativity.
  • LOL..Life is going to very very....very.. hard for you man. Good luck.
  • Maybe I'm retro, but I find the seperate volume controls annoying.
  • I think you are metro.
  • Dude it is so sickening to see only Galaxy and iPhone devices out in the world.  Doesn't anyone know what innovation is anymore? 
  • vote with your $
  • 'Strong rebirth'. LOL OK. More like a painful C-Section.
  • Yeah that's right you totally know what's up oh wise one. LOL
  • Just a hiccup, because I can see that latest flagships like the Nokia Lumia 928 and Nokia Lumia 925 are getting really positive reviews from both Tech guys and people. Not to mention the crazy news about the Lumia 520! So, lets wait and see Q3 result!
  • And if Q3 is bad then Q4 will surely deliver, if not then Q1 with Blue and if not then Windows Phone 15.
     
    As WP user since original WP7, this was always the case: next {} will surely deliver. Hint, it never did.
  • Hahahahaha, no man I think Q3 would be a reasonable limit. It gets to me man, I can't imagine Nokia falling, come on it is Nokia!
  • And it never will as long as Microsoft takes an eternity to bring WP up to speed with other platforms. How is it possible that BB10 has more advanced phone features, barring app numbers, than WP that has been on the market since 2010? The failings of WP are clearly the fault of the excruciatingly slow update pace from Microsoft.
  • +1000. MS is dragging WP and Nokia down!
  • But L925 or L928 are not coming to Finland :D
  • Are you serious man? They are going to be unlocked versions, right?
  • the 928 is on cdma and only works on verizon
  • The Lumia 925 is an international model.
  • But it's not coming to Finland.. No retailer/operator here is going to sell it. And it's normal, as we don't have any of those Lumia variants. We only have L610, 620, 800, 900, 520, 620, 720, 820 and 920. None else.
  • Get the unlocked international version dude, instant software updates, no bloatware! But expensive I know!     I had all my phones internationally unlocked.
  • Yes it is. You can preorder a lumia 925 from verkkokauppa.
    http://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/product/23287/dmkst/Nokia-Lumia-925-Windo...
  • Oh wow, thinking of buying one :) Thanks for the info!!
  • You can't be serious? Lumia is available on pre order from all carriers and retailers.
    Of course we don't get Lumia 928, it's cdma phone only for verizon.
  • Hmmm... As far as I can tell, my 928 has cdma AND GSM (and some other combinations).
  • Relief! 
  • Samsung will peak after a year or two. Everything is becoming redundant in looks. Just like Apple. The appeal will wear.
  • I agree. Android in general is peaking and Samsung is going Tizen (probably with more steam than it's efforts with Windows Phone).  Nokia and MS are rightfully going after the new smartphone users with the 520/1.  This is the correct strategy.  Microsoft needs to add the missing features, functionality and hardware options the platform is desperate for.  It's very late to come and every moment that passes they are hindering their potential.
    That said, I feel that MS and Nokia have a lot of momentum started. The EOS will capture more attention from high end market, but Windows Phone needs to step up.  I'm going to be with Windows Phone for the foreseeable future, but I'm concerned they aren't going to have the features IOS and Android users expect, notification center, sound control, the major apps they think they need etc..  
  • Samsung won't go anywhere because they sell lots of components not just related to smartphone but things like hard drives , RAM modules  etc.
     
    They got so many home appliances and a Semi conductor division which manufactures SoCs (Even Qualcomm sought Samsung's help in manufacturing some of their SoCs like Apple does).
     
    While Apple makes whole range of products not just phones but iPads as well as laptops and iPods.
     
    Nokia just makes phones and  has some services like Maps and Music but can't really stand against what Samsung has.
     
    I think Samsung will have better future anyday , besides they also have access to Windows Phone , Tizen and Android etc.
  • Spot on.
     
    Samsung are in a very strong position.
  • Nokia Siemens Networks?  Nokia has much more than what you think....
  • I liken Nokia's revival to that of Japan's JAL airlines... Just that they didn't go bankrupt. Its just jabs right now, but that right hook is coming
  • Lol only a hiccup :)
  • I am crying
  • A hiccup def a hiccup that Samdung bitch will eat dirt
  • :P
  • Nokia: "OH NO..... WE SUCK AGAIN!!..." Do something about it Nokia!!  You gonna let other tech giant take over you specially in your own terp like that!?  We know you're giving it all you've got with partnering with MS but you could do better!!...
  • Lol noob ms responsible for Nokia's back track they can't innovate because of zero support of updates from Microsoft use da brain before u da speak lool xD
  • Absolutely, MS is the one responsible for slow growth! Months for a game certificate! Crap!
  • There is only so much a top hardware OEM can do. They can't do anything more because the OS is limited right now.
  • That's why Samsung is making so much headway everywhere, innovation of software people love.
  • "your own terp" Hahaha. I hope that wasn't intentional.
  • Just a hiccup, people don't realize that Nokia is dumping all their smartphones and RESTARTING with Lumia, so its not an easy road up
  • Yep. Agreed, so in the future we will see Nokia phones are just Asha and Lumia, the S40-based and WP-based OS, respectively. It's much neater than all things that have been released before, even I can't find any difference which one is S60-based and S40-based, or maybe even the classic one; based on its series number.
  • Lol data sense Microsoft just screwed everyone outside US thnk u Microsoft for your loving shite support
  • Nokia knows its capabilities... but as some of you just mentioned - true, they may have been down but they're recovering at a fast rate with these Lumias....
  • :P
  • Nokia should launch Dual SIM Lumia and also introduce more mobiles in every price range.
    Last but not the least, just launch Android once....
  • The dream lives on. If you're not careful you'll die with that dream. Keep dreaming...
  • That would be pretty awesome!
  • Please let it be just a bump in the road!
  • Now we see the results of Stephen Elop came from Microsoft, and took over Nokia. From that point everything went down with Nokia.... Sad but true.
    I'm quite happy with my Lumia920, but that doesn't help when the market don't believe in Windows Phone... And it doesn't seem to change in the future either...
  • Of course, because you've got that magic eight ball. He sees the future people!
  • We've been over this a million times. Nokia was already going down long before Elop came aboard. If it wasn't for his quick thinking, we wouldn't know what would happen to them. The problem with previous leadership at Nokia ws that they were naive thinking that Symbian didn't need a replacement, that killed them in the end.
  • After Elop in 60% months and switching to WP Nokia dropped 60% on market value and lost 50% of its market share.
    That's not normal and its absolutely WP. Symbian was selling more in Q3 while Nokia ended Symbian over year ago...
  • Think that without Elop there would be no Nokia anymore...
  • +1
  • This news is actually quite vomit worthy. Go away, Samsung, just... Go away! -_-
  • Nokia will rebuild. I hope HTC gets themselves together as well.
    Samsung is annoying.
  • Their market share will continue to drop and it will drop even more, it's expected when a top manufacturer moves away from the OS. There are no surprises here, everyone knew it would happen.but hopefully, over time they will recover. Not by end of the year, but in the next 5 years most likely.
  • Nokia didn't have any of the cheaper WP8 Lumia models available here in Finland until last week of March when Lumia 620 was finally launched. Cheap Samsung models like Xcover and Gio on the other hand are constantly on the top 10 sold models in pretty much every carrier we have.
  • Why are they treating their homeland like that?
    No surprise for the loss then..
  • I actually don't get it how Samsung manages to get top spot the past few quarters; I mean, sure the GS3/4 are good phones, but virtually ALL of Samsung's phones look EXACTLY THE SAME. Don't people care about looks...at all??
  • No need to wonder.. Just look at the last three iPhone versions
  • bingo. iPhone 4/4S/5 are all have the same design from year-to-year, so do Galaxy S2/S3/S4. One day, they'll be boring ones. Only those who think creative and innovative will keep pushing forward.
  • Most smartphone consumers will look at form factor (in addition to specs, software, etc.). However, Samsung's overwhelming sales figures also include all the cheap, useless Android models (some still sporting Gingerbread) and other "dumb" phones. When you manufacture and sell billions of pieces of cheap junk, you can boast "top level" sales figures. McDonald's sells more burgers than Five Guys, but that doesn't mean they produce better quality products across the board.
  • LUMIA IS THE SHIT!!
    SAMSUNG CAN HAVE IT FOR NOW!! Samsung!!!! POR PABOR!!
  • I wonder if someone shouts like this: "Look! Another Android fanboy!" Hey, don't be so glad for it! It's just the beginning of the rebirth of the new Nokia, you don't expect about the future of it, right?
  • Dude, u misunderstood my comment.. Been using WP
    Hd7,710,titan1&2 900and 920
    what I meant by that is LUMIA is the best out there, Samsung really?? Please!!! I hope its clear to u now...
  • Well, anybody can get a different point of view about the argument, right?
    That's why I mistakenly understood the 'sh*t' word as something that is negative. ... and it's clear to me now, after you explained that. haha
  • Roger that
  • Come on US People! Buy yourselves a Lumia! You can thank me later :P
  • :P
  • I think they had something like 90% market share in Finland during the peak Symbian days... it all seems so long ago.
     
    Unfortunatly for them, android is the new symbian..
  • Looks like Elop does not have much left. EOS is his last shot, but he will have run out of time by then, if it is not a sensation out of the gates. Shareholders have no patience left for this Canadian.
  • Still, don't be worry, a GDR3 update will turn 'em upside down. Well, at least, gives a longer breath.
  • time to make phones with sailfish or meego along with wp.wp only stratergy is killing nokia ..... :( its sad to c pathetic galaxies everywher
  • Everyone buys a nokia because it a nokia phn not beacause its a wp ......windows phone lacks the basic features which the s40 have!!!!
  • It doesn't help that developers are holding back app development for the WP platform purely out of spite.
  • Smart Fins.
  • Just for the record I like being different..
  • Loosing their reign in Finland is not good for Nokia...hope things turn around for Nokia and they take back their thrown...after all, Finland and Nokia just go together...
  • This makes me both happy and sad... Sad because as a HUGE Windows supporter, I hate to see the top manufacturer lose top market share in its on county. Happy because as a Samsung employee I know that my company is doing something right! I do wish that Samsung would half as much innovation into Windows as put into Android. I think it would be so awesome to see an ATIV Camera like the Galaxy camera..
  • What is,the clock app?
  • can't wait to get Samsung Ativ S windows phone 8 when it arrives in Sprint in June. Samsung is better than nokia. Love how thin Ativ S is compare to nokia 920 bulky heavy weight
  • samsung suckss :-/
  • Sad that so many people will pick up one of those plasticky things from Samsung, especially in Nokia's home country, although perhaps they would have been pursuaded to be a bit more loyal if Nokia had kept their Finish factory open.
  • Everyone just keep it a secret that you can get a Samsung Ativ S for like EUR 260.- and end up having one of the best WP8s for that money.