High-End Samsung, Nokia, LG Phones Boost Smartphone Growth

Demand for smartphones, video capabilities and China’s growing mobile phone market are expected to boost shipments of mobile phone displays, which slipped in the first quarter of 2009, according to a report from forecaster DisplaySearch.
Quarter-to-quarter, mobile phone display shipments fell by 11 percent, to 263 million units, though they’re expected to rise to 306 million in the second quarter of 2009 and to 360 million units in the third quarter.
“Growth in mobile phone display shipments will be driven by demand from major mobile phone manufacturers such as Nokia, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson and Motorola, as well as Chinese brands including Huawei, ZTE as well as Tianyu and white box manufacturers,” said DisplaySearch’s Hiroshi Hayase, in a statement on the report.
“In addition, the availability of low cost mobile phones in these regions will also contribute to the anticipated growth for this segment.”
DisplaySearch reports that more than 20 percent of the mobile phone displays that were shipped went to Chinese brands and white-box manufacturers, which make un-branded knock-offs of popular top-tier phones. This grouping also accounted for 16.2 percent of the mobile phone market share for the first quarter of 2009.
Mobile phone shipments reached 276.1 million in the first quarter, states the report, with Nokia leading the way, with 31.7 percent of the market share. DisplaySearch notes that Nokia upped its order of nHD displays – which enable digital TV and video, and is used in the flagship N97 device – to 4 million in the first quarter, up from 1.1 million in the quarter before.
Samsung was second in line for market share, with 18.5 percent, followed by LG, with 7.2 percent, Motorola with 5.1, Sony Ericsson with 5.0 and Research In Motion with 3.4 percent.
Chinese mobile phone brands Huawei, ZTE and Tianyu increased their share by between 1.5 and 2 percent, reports DisplaySearch, which allots 2 percent of the mobile brand market share to Huawei, 2 percent to ZTE and 1.5 percent to Tianyu.
Apple, in the No. 10 spot, rounded out the list, with 1.2 percent of the market share.
In keeping with the move toward higher-end smartphones and video-capable phones, orders of MSTN LCD displays, such as the one user in the entry-level Nokia 1200 phone, are expected to drop to 369 million in 2009 from 448 million in 2008, while TFT-LCD and OLED displays, such as the one featured on the rugged Nokia 3720, are expected to rise to 1.03 billion units in 2009, compared to 955 million units in 2008.
In a July 24 report, ABI Research listed second-quarter 2009 shipments at 269 million handsets, with Nokia and Samsung and LG holding the top three market share positions.