Nokia has recently launched new products in the lower and mid-tier range to protect its position in emerging markets, but its success in the high-margin smartphone market will be crucial to its long-term survival. The Lumia 925 is the latest Nokia high-end smartphone that uses Microsoft’s Windows Phone software. Today’s graphic compares it to other major smartphones on the market.

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Samsung premiered its latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S4, which sports a bigger display and unconventional features such as gesture controls. Today’s graphic compares the new Galaxy S4 to five other major smartphones on the market.

I came across a story today that literally made my jaw drop. It doesn’t happen too often anymore, because after so many years of seeing changes in the space, you almost feel like it is impossible to be surprised. And yet I was.

26 Feb 2013Bob Schukai

The reason for my surprise came via the incredibly progressive operator Safaricom from Kenya. Readers of my posts may recall that Safaricom made M-PESA the shining star of mobile payments/transactions in Kenya – essentially creating a solution for millions of “unbanked” people. Last year alone, Kenyans moved over $16 billion via mobile phones - and recall that this is a nation with a total population of about 42 million people.

Safaricom announced that it would stop selling feature phones in an effort to move citizens towards exclusively using smartphones. “Nzioka Waita, Director-Corporate Affairs at Safaricom told the Mobile Web East Africa (MWEA) conference: ‘Safaricom is soon going to stop selling the cheap feature phones in all our retail outlets, as we try to skew the Kenyan market towards smartphones.’” Wow. The reason that Safaricom reckons it can do this simply comes down to the fact that the price of Android smartphones is reaching the point of availability for everyone. We’ve seen this occurring as a mobile team with every trade show we visit. In addition to the big boys bringing out their shiny new smartphone toys, Chinese manufacturers beyond Huawei and ZTE are cranking out low cost Android phones with brand names that are new to the scene. The race to commoditize smartphone hardware is on, and in probably less than 3-5 years time, it would not surprise me to see feature phones literally vanish from the shelves. However, what is interesting is the fact that it is Africa and in particular Safaricom in Kenya that is leading the way. (more…)

Nokia launched a $20 phone to shore up its position in the basic handset market, where it has lost share while it focused on developing expensive smartphones. Today’s graphic shows the worldwide mobile device sales over the last four years.

[UPDATE: We updated the graphic to include the official specifications on the new Blackberry phone]

30 Jan 2013Thomson Reuters

The new BlackBerry 10 (which is being unveiled today) has created buzz among those in the industry and those monitoring the company. RIM stock has almost tripled over the past four months on hopes the devices can restore the company to sustained prosperity. Today’s graphic compares some of the most popular smartphones on the market including the projected specifications for the new Blackberry.

Shares in Apple dipped below $500 for the first time in almost one year after reports it is slashing orders for screens and other components from its Asian supplier as intensifying competition erodes demand for its latest iPhone. Today’s graphic includes a share price chart of the last year, iPhone sales trend, and the Q3 smartphone global market share.

Today’s graphic compares HTC Windows Phone 8X, one of two models launched Wednesday, with popular smartphones released or to be released this year. Do you think HTC can keep up with the competition?

Yesterday, Apple announced the new iPhone 5 featuring a bigger screen and 4G wireless technology. As the company seeks to safeguard its edge over rivals, the announcement didn’t feature many surprises for those in the know. Today’s graphic compares this new phone to four major competitors.

Based on the graphic and your experience with smartphones, how do you think the iPhone compares to its competitors?

With Apple just announcing the new iPhone 5, it’s worth taking a look at the market share breakdown in the smartphone world. Today’s graphic does exactly that, comparing Q2 shipments from 2011 and 2012 as well as iPhone sales over time. How do you think the new iPhone will affect Apple’s market share? (more…)

Nokia and partner Microsoft showcased the new Lumia 920 phone yesterday in what may be their last shot at reclaiming market share lost to Apple, Samsung and Google. The new smartphones earned quick disapproval from investors looking for new handsets to rescue the struggling Finnish company, sending the firm’s shares tumbling 13%. Today’s graphic compares the Lumia 920 to the iPhone 4S, HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy SIII, and ATIV S.