Study shows Global Windows Phone sales now dominated by Nokia

By Robert Brand
last updated

Statistics from Localytics are showing that Nokia is now the key supplier of Windows Phones handsets worldwide. Whilst this news might not surprise many considering Nokias considerable push in the retail channels, it does paint an interesting picture of the state of play with the three main manufacturers. According to Localytics survey, Nokia is now clearly in pole position as of July with 59% of total sales.

While the survey shows Nokia winning in market share it also illustrates the rise of sales in Windows Phone units from January until the present.  Interestingly the growth looks almost to be exclusively with Nokia, the other device maker’s shipments look to have remained almost static since April.

These statistics could be seen to illustrate that most of the Windows Phone sales growth this year is driven by Nokia. Nokia has waded into the market and sunk huge amounts into advertising and promotions. Since the launch of Windows Phone, this kind of focused push had been sorely lacking.  A recent look  at retail chains here in the UK, shows that Nokia is front and centre with placement in shops. They have successfully leveraged their relationships with retailers and networks to get their products in front of consumers.

With the launch of Windows Phone 8, Nokia will be in prime position to dominate sales. They have been laying the groundwork over the year to make this happen. So much so that it's getting increasingly hard to find other options in retail stores for Windows Phones. There is even some evidence to suggest that consumers associate with Lumia as a brand more than Windows Phone.

We’ve wondered openly if these factors may wake Samsung and HTC to the possibilities of pushing the platform more through advertising and promotion. If these figures are correct, it should be clear as day to other manufactures that Windows Phone will sell if pushed properly. Sales from HTC and Samsung show to be pretty flat and we would expect to see a much bigger push come Windows Phone 8 launch. Nokia has now garnered strong brand recognition, differentiated their services and built up a strong feeling of brand loyalty.

We’d love to see Samsung and HTC push the platform in the same way, the results will only mean a stronger and healthier eco system for all of us.

via: AllThingsD (opens in new tab)

67 Comments
  • Nice good for nokia
  • there is something wrong in the article.
    The growth is not almost only from nokia.
    if you have 100 phones shipped, 60 of nokia. They got 60% and the rest 40%.
    If you have 200 phones a year later, and the rest still has 40%, these are 80 phones. So they doubled their shipments by staying at the same percentage of global sales.
    Should be fixed in the article.
  • why are you directing this comment at me? All i said was good for nokia lol, im not a writer for this site you should probably direct this at whoever wrote the article.
  • He wants to be near the top.  Glad you called him out for that.
  • +1
  • Your logic is flawed. if you see closely, in January Nokia only had 22% of the share. So using your same example,
    if you have 100 phones shipped, 20 was Nokia and 80 was the rest at the beginning of the year.
    if you have 200 phones shipped towards the end of the year, nokia now has 60% = 120 phones while others went down to 40% = still 80 phones.
     
  • Haha, no, logic is not to be applied here... Statistical analysis will do just fine. And the point he was trying to make is correct. While some of the other manufacturers have maintained market share to within +/- 3% the global level of sales had risen what would appear to be about 250-300%. That's purely conjecture based on the complete lack of numbers to substantiate. But over all growth has happened by ALL manufacturers, where Nokia is the only one to gain market share.... Review some of your old math class's and you will begin to understand. Alternatively, if math was never your forte, simply ignore the numbers and visually compare the sizes of the colored boxes month after month, and know that the bigger the box, the more units shipped that month.
  • I wonder how much of a beating Samsung will take from Apple before it decides to push Windows Phone more. The two are duking it out in courts in how many countries now?
  • I know, at some point android will stop selling, its crappy anyways
  • Not long if apple wins, which I believe will happen. They will have to redesign their android offerings which could then take a beating. Does anyone know if Apple and Sammy reach a settlement or did they let it go to the jury? Sammy could pay Apple royalties
  • Apple isn't extending licensing anymore.  That was like a one day offering lol.  I think SJ said f that no way.
  • Actually they are working on a settlement. The judge urged them to do so, because she said that the ruling might be disliked by both parties.
  • Precisely. When a judge tells you to reach an agreement or you're both going to be dissatisfied with my ruling, that's when you need to say, "The dead guy was wrong, and we're doing what makes sense."
  • Factually they didn't. Its going to the jury. Read the verge.
  • Well I checked this morning and no settlement was reached. This could really hurt Sammy because from looking at the court transcripts on the verge, it looks like Apple was winning the argument. And again, there was mention that Sammy could pay Apple royalties but one member said that was a one day offer (don't know how much he really knows as far as that goes)
  • For Samsung this should be a warning. The share of Nokia and HTC shows clearly how much Samsung is caring about WP.
    But I think that'll change when WP 8 is coming out.
  • That's why I have a lumia, go nokia
  • Not a surprise to me!
  • "it should be clear as day to other manufactures that Windows Phone will sell if pushed properly."
    well, I like your optimistic attitude but WP has not sold well and has not been pushed properly. it made Nokia the leader within the tiny fraction of a global smartphone marketshare that belongs to Windows Phone - but not more. I hope WP8 will rock but that day has yet to come.
  • Yes.
    We can only hope that Samsung takes this the right way and decides to push for Windows Phone.
  • I love my 710, I've always been a Nokia fan and really want to see them succeed. HTC and Samsung need to really push WP, I know Android is their main push but they must know that competition is healthy and would help them overall. Can't wait for WP8 :)
  • Thats no surprise Nokia is the only Oem that adverts their products HTC Samsung only make ads for their android devices
  • @WPCentral
    "We’ve wonderED openly if these factors..."
     
  • Nokia and windows phone now meens the same.
  • So Samsung is the clear Android winner, and Nokia obviously is for Windows Phone, so where does that leave HTC? They make some nice looking hardware, but they seem to always have firmware issues (with both Android AND WP), and they're always slow to push updates! I have a soft spot for HTC because every smartphone that I've owned has been from them(I even got my wife on the HTC/WP bandwagon with the Radar), but I think I'll be going with Nokia for WP8 because HTC seems like they have a lot of work to do. I'd hate to see them turn into some also-ran like LG...
  • Heck, they may be the first manufacturer to go the route of rim with all the monetary bleeding their doing even with their Android offering. I'm afraid if they don't push WP, their Android offering will continue to bleed which spell continued losses (not good)
  • Last HTC windows phone device that was released in Europe was The titan 1 and the last Samsung WP phone was the omnia7 in Europe the best windows phones are Nokia phones !
  • The only strange thing here is in my eyes, that Samsung is on second place instead of HTC. I belive that HTC have done at least more then Samsung, and the Titan and Radar is as far as I can tell better products.
  • Actually, the chart says HTC is in second place. HTC blew it. They had an opportunity to dominate in the windows phone ecosystem. They had a strong relationship with Microsoft and an opportunity and they produced frsenct hardware but did nothing to market it. Next they didn't fight to have any of the updates released for their international phones pushed to their AT&T customers. They were focused on android, but got steamrolled as Samsung made iPhone clones. Now they're on shaky ground in the android world and Microsoft has a new girlfriend for windows phone. Sometimes timing is everything
  • Totally agree with you. I went I to T-Mobile thinking of getting the Nokia710 because i saw some ads about it and it was a good price but the sales rep recommended the HTC Radar for not much more because he felt it was a better made phone among other features. I did get the 710 for my sis and comparing side by side mine does feel better, has a better camera IMO, hotspot (that changed when she updated her phone), sound, and aluminum body. I am a bit jealous of the exclusivity of aps though.... I would have never known about the Radar if the guy never told me...
  • Microsoft should just announce Nokia as the sole partner for windows phone and leave everyone else. Pull an apple and only have one model, but then people would complain.
  • what about 5 different Nokia models then? Not "only have one model" - "only have one OEM!"
  •  
    I agree...I think 3 phone types would work well...each year you release an update to the top two tiers, killing the bottom/budget phone and making the 2nd tier the new budget...and introduce a new top of the line phone.  So, that means a phone could have a certain form factor for 3 years, makes it SUPER easy on the accessory manufactures and gives you phone recognition.
  • What a horrible idea, HTC and Samsung make some good devices and unlike apple, we Windows phone users get to make choices. Think about it, when wp8 drops, well have three htc's, two samsungs, three nokia's and more!! You would rather just have a few nokias and that's it? Not me...
  • Realistically, we already have little in the way of choice, decided largely by the whims of the carriers. Sure we could buy unlocked, but there isn't much incentive to pay $500-600 for a phone that someone with the "right" carrier can get for $50-100. And even if you do pony up the full amount, the phone may not be fully compatible with the carrier's network.
  • America is a weird country. Here in Europe we can just buy the phones in stores without aby contracts just like xboxes, PCs, TVs and other home appliances. It costs hundreds of dollars with taxes but we don't bitch about it.
  • They may be weird but I think the subsidy model works well for people (but mostly carriers). The prices here (and in the states) for phone service are actually kinda ridiculous so they try to offset this by raising their prices even further and offering a subsidy on your phone (i.e. You get the phone for $50 with a $70 monthly plan). It works since people don't have to shell out $600/700 at once and the carriers can easily use it as an excuse to rake in money for the next 2/3 years. Buying unlocked isn't any better because then you are just spending $600 and the paying the same $70 for service. If only they offered discounts for people who brought their own devices...but that would be too fair for us North Americans.
  • $70 monthly for using your phone? That's ridiculous. The cheapest contracts without phones are like $5 over here. You can add a basic data plan starting at $2. And the operator won't charge you if you go over your data limit but will only slow down your download speed. And it's all even less expensive if you go pre-paid. Now getting back to the phones, I just can't understand how people earning dozens of thousands of dollars a year can complain about $100 being expensive. I mean come on, it's like pocket money kept around in case your get hungry or need to take a cab. For gods' sake, a night out with friends costs more. Are North Americans really that lazy and cheap?
  • No way in hell
  • I love my Lumia 800, but the other day I dropped it from a height not higher of 3 feet and broke my screen. It still works fine, it's just a crack on the outside glass, but I think I'll need to change the whole screen and the place I've asked for repair (not Nokia) wants 150€... Don't know what to do
  • what does that have to do with anything? The phone is good, nokia is good, its just not meant to be dropped.
    You love your phone? Don't drop it :P
  • Sorry to hear that. I've dropped my Lumia several times already on pavement and not a scratch on the glass.
  • Sorry to hear that. I can recall dropping my Lumia 800 three times: on cement footpath, road, and from a book shelf. Found only one small tiny hairline scratch about 0.5mm. This phone is bloody strong!
  • LMAO!!!! NOKIA ON MINE :D
  • This is not surprising.  I have a Samsung Omnia 7 and I bought my wife a Lumia 800.  The support and added value that Nokia brings to the table is nothing less than excellent.  Samsung would do very well to take notes (DLNA/AllShare?). I'm holding out for Windows Phone 8 and right now Nokia would have to do something terrible, like drop Windows Phone, to stop me buying their flagship WP8 device (whatever that may be).
    HTC have a decent share, probably due to the Titan range which had me tempted - I might eye up their next gen devices but without that after-sales support it's unlikely they'd change my mind on Nokia.
  • I personally have the HTC Trophy which I absolutely love. While it's not one of the flashy, high-end Windows Phones; it still performs fluidly. (And it is the only possibility for me being on Verizon). HTC and Samsung really have a strong opportunity to do well with Windows Phone but they are not flaunting their potential around like Nokia is. In the Verizon stores the primary reason the HTC Trophy sold was because the many high reviews of the product spoke for itself, not because it was advertised or pushed. It makes little sense why not push a product that people are loving and actively consuming?
    Anywhere you look though Nokia is synonymous with Windows Phone. They have done a superb job. I have never had the chance to own a Nokia model myself, but if it ever came to Verizon I would strongly consider choosing it over HTC. When you have a company that is willing to devote themselves to an OS, you know that they are committed and that you will get your worth out of investing in the company's product.
    To move forward Windows Phone needs to be offered on high end handsets (while still having low/mid-range options for variation and budget conscious consumers) across the board on all carriers. Being only offered on a low/mid-range offering in both Verizon and Sprint has extremely hurt Windows Phone's chances of expanding well within the entire market. When a handset is released within a carrier, it needs to be marketed. People will never try something new if it is not marketed properly to grab their attention and explain the benefits of their product. Nokia has proven this. They took the plunge with Windows Phone and have shown to be the top dog as they have much more to lose if Windows Phone fails. HTC came out with some solid products, but the commitment was not there, and it showed to the consumers.
    Wow, this comment was longer than I intended, but Go Nokia, Get on Verizon.... HTC and Samsung kick it up, show Nokia you're still worthwhile competitors and market, market, market... Looking forward to the Windows Phone 8 announcement which should shake things up this September.
  • i wish they had a phone on all US carriers
  • It is important to remain optimistic, though, in reality, Windows Phone has penetrated so little into the global market, and has so little market share or real growth. That said, it can and does take a lot of time for something to get adopted into such a large space. BUT WP8 has to be different than previous versions not only for consumers, but for the public media, advertisement, and the eyes of every company involved to see the true potential and follow-through with supporting the platform. Problem is, we see this chain of
    1. I don't want to further support the platform, because there is too little market penetration and growth.
    2. Once the platform is growing, we'll support the platform more.
    When in reality, companies need to go all in or run back to Android if they want to see real returns. Letting Nokia do all the promotion and support for them isn't going to do them any good. As I recall, HTC jumping on board with Android, even after putting their full force into it and pumping out phones, hasn't been a successful business strategy.
  • When Windows Mobile was dying while the iPhone and its android clones thrived, HTC actually had a good run with their android phones. Going android was actually the smartest thing to do back then. The Desire series was pretty decent and customers loved it. The trouble started when Samsung suddenly spread like virus with their copycat Galaxy phones and tablets, greatly due to intensive viral marketing fueled by Apple haters.
  • Those who buy Nokia buy it because it's Nokia. When Nokia chose WP, it was Microsoft's wildest dream ever. Each new user may give valuable data mining. Perhaps WP has value, but as whole its just around 10-15%. 85% is done by Nokia.
  • i think Nokias commitment to the platform, the support given, the responsibility for flaws owned up too, and the nice offering with premium design is what brought me to nokia. Samsung has nice hardware but they push the galaxy so much more than any of the 4 windows phone they made... And Htc while having the opprotunity to take advantage being one of the first oem partners for windows phone blew it by trying to compete with samsung in the android market and thus are in a financial pit. Its all about priorities Nokia has none other than WP's Success, but sammy and htc are trying to ride the same OS to success and there can only be one and its usually the one with more moolah, namely sammy. If they bring their A-game to wp8 with better hardware and improved optics and nfc...ect... and promote it as they do with android they will both bring in more revenue, without having to pay the royalties. On the other hand applications on the platform are also a must and microsoft must do everything and anything to get them on the platform ASAP. it should be a unified approach.
  • You are all reading to much into the at&t Lumia 900 koolaid. Nokia phones are just as bugged as the competition and support is just as bad. The only thing they resolved quickly was the humongous data transfer bug on the 900. The Lumia series was plagued with dozen other bugs for months. Meanhwile Nokia phones still sell good worldwide due to brand recognition and customer loyalty, as in "I loved my E71 even more than I loved my 6310 and 3310 before, so I'll stick to Nokia and get that new Lumia. Does it come in white like an iPhone?" That is how people choose their phones here in the real world, where Nokia has been THE phone company for the last 20 years.
  • actually my lumia was riddled with bugs that were fixed with updates and great customer support.. you cannot generalize your experience with the rest of the WP Lumia user base. If you honestly think the whole world thinks as you put it "Does it come in white like an iPhone?" then i pity your way of thinking though you are entirely entitled to think as you do. Nokias brand push marketing blitz and great customer support for me is what got me to buy a lumia 900 and its the best phone ive ever owned and i dont regret buying it at all. i like being me and having my own style and taste and wp and lumia offers me that while still doing all i need if you think its not great or just like every other oem thats fine but dont waste your breathe on me.
  • Whity pity me if you've only seen the 900, don't know anything about the world outside the US, and obviosuly don't have any non-geek friends? Do you know how long it took Nokia to realase updates for the rushed (because outsourced) Lumia 800? Over eight fraking months. And still they haven't completely fixed the audio bugs which they introduced in March. You can't honestly call that "great customer service", that is just bullshit. At&t and Nokia just fooled you with their $50 rebate.
  • Unsurprising, they make the best phones.
  • I can't wait to see the new WP8 phones from Nokia.
  • While Samsung & HTC focused on Android Nokia took advantage of becoming king of windows phone. HTC dominated the windows mobile (pocket PC) bc the competition wasn't there. Android was the best way to go bc WP has been a beta OS all along so I don't see why HTC & Samsung even LG would invest hard on windows phone.
  • I do love my HTC Titan. I've owned the HD7S and the Focus. But the Titan is awesome (minus the protruding camera which makes me want to use a case).  Still, I am so stoked about buying a Nokia... can't wait to see what WP8 has in store for us.  Still, it would be nice for Samsung compete more seriously in this space. Given HTCs string of bad investments they're likely to be crippled by caution whether or not they actually believe WPx is going somewhere.
  • You see this is what happens when you actually try selling phones. With Nokia still selling and the others looking on wondering why sub standard handsets and poor support the phones are not just selling themselves you have ask why bother. This is a clear example of distraction. Currently the droid continues to distract and they continue to support the system just without any real belief. I must br
  • Too bad HTC, you blew it. I have the TITAN but will definitely be moving on to a Nokia.  Hmm, maybe we should have a poll on which manufactuer we'll be choosing for our next Windows Phone?
  • I think WP8 will catch on much quicker than WP7. I myself am a current Android user and the platform is boring to me. I've used an iPhone and honestly it feels too much like Android, but with less freedom. I'm looking for something different and from browsing the forums it looks to me like several Android users are ready to make the jump to WP8 come this fall. All the announcements so far have been very promising for the platform and it should take Microsoft a lot closer to where they want to be in the mobile marketplace. The ability to sync everything so seamlessly across all of the Windows 8 OS's is going to be very beneficial to a lot of businesses and consumers. I'm psyched for the September 5 announcement; I'm ready to see these companies start flexing their muscles in terms of hardware with the WP8 platform since they are now able to do so.
    I for one believe the future is looking very promising for Microsoft and it's consumers.
  • Technically Nokia has released 5 updates for my Lumia 900 in less than a year. The data fix update, the purple spot update for the screen and the three most recent updates that brought tango. In that same timeframe my HTC Titan has received 1 update to prevent the srs sound enhancements from killing games. Is it any surprise that Nokia is dominating. Even if you don't like their phones, the fact that Nokia actually fixes some of the problems people have with their devices is a sign they're the company you're going to get the most for your money. HTC has some nice products, but after the sale, you're irrelevant to them and that means that moving forward they're irrelevant to me. I love everything about my titan except for my capped network speeds, disappearing keyboard and no communication from from the company that made it.
  • Great for Nokia, it supports WP7 so much so this is right.
  • Lumia 900 Tango UK user. My data issue is not fixed my GPs signal is the weakest. Nokia can only win this battle if they issue fixes globally not region by region since wp platform is one and is not as fragmentated as Android. More investment in good quality hardware chips is what is missing from current Lumia phones specifically the Mighty Looser Lumia 900
  • Thats the reason MS are taking carriers out the picture with updates on WP8.
    Carriers always, always get in the way, p*** off their customers and generally don't serve us well.
    Thank crikey Apple paved the way by smart exclusivity and forced through control, which MS can now copy citing prior arrangements.
     
    Mobile carriers should stick to selling connectivity, contracts and stock phones.
    No meddling, no haulting updates, no stupid branding, no gimmicks.
    Stick to contract, connectivity and device shipping. There, I feel better now I've got that off my chest :)
  • Lower sales of WP handsets by Samsung and HTC is understandable considering their dominance in Android OS.
  • Microsoft - in combination with the phone manufacturers really needs to step things up and start to pressure the US carriers to not only support Windows Phones, but to carry a variety of devices.  The numbers shown in the survey are essentially AT&T stats.  Verizon only carries an HTC device.  Sprint only carries an HTC device.  And if TMobile sells a Windows Phone, it is by accident.  I can tell you as a Verizon customer (stuck on Verizon due to a corporate contract), I am wary of waiting for those clowns to announce some Windows 8 Phones.  I fully expect for VZW to drag their feet and show up late to the party - AGAIN.  Testing devices and announcing/releasing devices are 2 different things.  Maybe VZW thinks that Blackberry has a future?  Nothing stupid from VZW would surprise me any more.