Some 60 Million Dual-Core Smartphones Shipped Globally during 2011: Study

Some 60 million dual-core smartphones were shipped globally during 2011, according to an industry study that is also predicting the upcoming sales of smartphones with quad-core processors.

The study is based on preliminary data from Berg Insight. Smartphones with dual-core processors were introduced in early 2011 and started to sell during February. Now, a year later, during the current Mobile World Congress (News - Alert) in Barcelona, Spain, several handset vendors are expected to announce smartphones with quad-core processors, Berg Insight reported in a company statement.

It is expected that quad-core processors will be included in high-end devices, and dual-core processors will be found in mid-range smartphones, Berg Insight said.

In a related topic, based on recent data, Berg Insight reported that smartphone sales jumped 59 percent to 470 million units globally during last year. Sales of both higher-end smartphones and lower-cost devices led to much of the increase in the sector during last year. “Sales of high-end devices doubled from about 75 million units in 2010 to an estimated 150 million units in 2011. Sales of low-cost smartphones increased from approximately 10 million units in 2010 to 70 million units in 2011,” Berg Insight said.

Samsung was the top smartphone vendor in 2011. It had 20.2 percent market share. Apple (News - Alert) was in second place. It had 19.8 percent market share. Berg Insight also reported that Nokia saw lower shipments during 2011. It came in third, with 16.4 percent market share. Apple had the most revenues last year in the sector, says Berg Insight. It had a value market share of 38 percent during 2011.

Berg Insight provides analysis and data on the telecom industry. It has hundreds of clients in some 61 nations. It studies, among other areas, wireless M2M, Location-Based Services, mobile Value-Added Services and Next Generation Technologies, the company says on its website.

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