We use our SpecTRAX online database to indicate popular smartphones. We found that in the first half of 2012 smartphones from Nokia and RIM joined those from Apple and Samsung as most widely available.

The complete top 20 list of global smartphones ranked according to their shelf-share are shown below.

Samsung pipped Apple to the top spot with the Galaxy S II i9100 (16GB), closely followed by Apple’s iPhone 4S 16 GB.  Impressively the Galaxy SII is available from every network operator and retail channel analyzed by the SpecTRAX team.

Our report also summarizes the key specifications of the top 20 smartphones including display size, camera resolution, processor speed and operating systems.

Over 50% of devices profiled were Android; however iOS, Windows Phone, Blackberry OS and Symbian all held their ground in the top 20 smartphone list.

The key finds of the report include;

• Samsung’s Galaxy S II i9100 (16 GB) shows universal availability (only absent from the iStore shelves); the Apple iPhone 4S 16 GB comes in a close second.
• Nokia’s Lumia 800 gained traction early in its lifecycle being available through 77% of global channels just months after launch;  beating Samsung’s heavily publicised Galaxy S III i9300 16 GB launched in Q2 2012.
• HTC’s One X quad-core device (launched at MWC in February 2012) came in 12th place showing across 2/3 of shelves; an impressive positioning for this ultra-high-end product.
• The HTC Wildfire S and RIM Blackberry Curve 2 8520 entry level smartphones continue to be available from more than 60% of channels despite their age.

Samsung has the most devices in the ranking with five smartphones in the top 10 by shelf-share.  When the list is expanded to the top 20 widely available smartphones then devices from Sony, HTC and Motorola feature as popular in network operators product portfolios.

The data in the SpecTRAX online database is constantly updated and customers use it to track global and regional markets in terms of the popularity of handset and the associated specifications of those devices. This is particularly powerful information for product managers and development teams.
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SpecTRAX, a comparison tool from Strategy Analytics, records the specifications of new cellphone handsets and tablets as they are announced; tracking availability through over 300 carrier and retail channels. 

Click here to try the SpecTRAX for yourself
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Alternatively CONTACT THE TEAM to arrange a SpecTRAX demo.

Steve Entwistle

Clients can access the full details in the report “Results Are In: Samsung’s Galaxy S II was the most widely-available device in 1H 2012” ranking.

SpecTRAX availability and shelf-share data revealed Nokia's Lumia 710 in poll position for smartphones launched in Europe during Q1 2012. This means that during its launch quarter, the Lumia 710 made its way onto 33% of European carriers. The Sony Xperia S (27%) and LG Prada K2 (22%) came in second and third place, with the Lumia 800 featuring on 17% of operator's shelves; meaning Nokia's new launches were in the top 4 smartphones by shelf-share at launch. Download SpecTRAX's latest complimentary extract: Most Widely Available NEW Smartphones in Europe Q1 2012 for the full story, summary spec details, and the methodology.

The analysis revealed European Carriers Top 20 newly released handsets were from Samsung (with 6 models) and HTC (5 models). Nokia, Sony, LG and RIM all featured 2 new smartphones a piece. The Apple iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy SIII and Nokia Lumia 900 did not feature in this report as they were launched either side of Q1 2012 in Europe.

SpecTRAX is a tactical database which tracks detailed handset specifications for smartphones, mobile phones, tablets and USB dongles. There are now over 14,000 unique models listed in the database. Click here to try the SpecTRAX database for yourself, or CONTACT THE TEAM to arrange a SpecTRAX demo.

SpecTRAX contains detailed spec analysis for over 13,000 handsets including mobile phones, tablets and 2100 smartphones to date. The latest complimentary SpecTRAX insight The Smartphone Shift tracks product annoucements since Q1 2010 to Q1 2012 and demonstrates an interesting trend in product type annoucements and the evolution of individual OEM portfolios. The impact of trades shows such as CES and MWC on Q1 annoucements each year are also discussed.

Smartphone and tablet announcements are on the up, whereas mobile phones (untargeted feature phones and mobile voice) annoucements have fallen significantly since their peak in 2010, and are now the remit of budget manufaturers. Smartphones and tablets share common technologies and have similar developmental pathways which result in two products for the price of one.

Interestingly, larger OEMs such as Samsung now show a clear preference for smartphones and tablets over mobile phones. The mobile phone appears to have settled into a niche for new OEMs gaining traction in developing countries, but for how long?

SpecTRAX is a tactical database which tracks detailed handset specifications for smartphones, mobile phones, tablets and USB dongles. Currently there are over 13,000 unique models listed in the database. If you want to try the SpecTRAX database for yourself, just click HERE or contact the team to arrange a SpecTRAX demo.

I’ve just got round to writing here about our global handset shelf share data collected in November. Shelf share is always a hot topic amongst handset vendors and network operators and we released an Insight report last month, created from statistics generated using our SpecTRAX market monitoring tool. The above analysis is based on data from our SpecTRAX database which holds intelligence on over 11,000 handsets globally available. You can try the database tool for yourself by registering HERE ->

• Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Bold2 9700 extended its lead at the top of our shelf share analysis for Q3 2010
• RIM’s Curve 2 8520 bounced back into second spot, recovering from being pushed down to third in Q2 2010 by Nokia’s E72.

Our shelf-share analysis tracks the handset portfolios of around 130 network operators in 29 countries. This quarter’s global top ten consists of only four brands: RIM BlackBerry, Samsung, Nokia and Apple.

• Apple’s 16 and 32GB versions of its iPhone 4 replaced the 3G S versions, taking fifth and sixth spots respectively, increasing their shelf share healthily from when they were launched at the end of Q2.
• Nokia has lost ground within the top ten over the past two quarters. The 5230 and 2330 classic both remained static while the number of operators offering the E72, N97 mini and 2730 classic has shrunk.

The full research paper can be downloaded from HERE -> Next week I should have the regional details for the shelf-share analysis which will show some interesting differences between some of the world’s main regions. Steve Entwistle Twitter: sentwistle1419

A total of 109 new handsets were announced globally by 27 vendors. Our report summarises the key features and trends of the 53 handsets for which detailed specifications were available. Only limited details were available for the other 56 handsets. Of the 53 new handsets, 9 were from LG and 11 were from Samsung, including the new Android-based GT-i7500L. Some of the highlights from July's 53 new handset announcements include: · Average thickness of 13.96 mm, the lowest figure on record; · USB support in 85% of all new handsets, another high, and up from 60% two years ago; · Memory card slot in 87% of new phones, up from 71% two years ago; · Average talk time of 343 minutes, up from 271 minutes two years ago, despite the shift to 3G networks. Feature penetration continues to grow, while size and weight continue to decline, due in part to advancements in semiconductor integration and packaging techniques. The trend towards thinner handsets may slow down soon as the compromise between small size and robustness becomes more of a factor. Find out more insights from this database here  http://tiny.cc/spectrax378 Steve Entwistle Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/sentwistle1419