Top 10 Mobile Phones – March 2009

On 14/04/2009, in OEM, by Volker
The monthly numbers on best-selling phones from our accessory-maker friends over at Krusell are out. In March, it looked like this:

1. (1) Samsung SGH-i900/i910 Omnia
2. (7) Nokia 3109
3. (3) Nokia 6300
4. (2) HTC Touch HD
5. (8) Nokia E71
6. (4) Nokia E51
7. (10) Nokia 3120
8. (8) Nokia 5800
9. (5) Blackberry Storm
10. (-) Samsung M8800
() = Last month?s position.

Not too many changes as compared to last month. The trend to higher-end phones is maintained (or is it that owners of shiny touch-screen phones tend to spend a little more on that stylish holster?).
Be it as it may be (and my earlier comments on the holster-phone correlation probably stand true to an extent), the numbers are roughly in line with the previously noted growth of the smartphone sector, which continues to outperform the rest of the handset market.
Photo credit: http://www.crunchgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/cellphone-holster01.jpg
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Top 10 Mobile Phones in February 2009

On 06/03/2009, in Apple, OEM, by Volker

Here’s the list of the 10 best-selling phones (judged by accessory sales) as compiled by Krusell, our Swedish holster-maker friends. I will not comment further on the sense or nonsense of this information but reference what I said previously about it.

So without any further ado, here’s the list (in brackets the ranking from the previous month):
1. (1) Samsung SGH-i900/i910 Omnia
2. (2) HTC Touch HD
3. (5) Nokia 6300
4. (3) Nokia E51
5. (4) Blackberry Storm
6. (8) Nokia E71
7. (6) Nokia 3109
8. (-) Nokia 5800
9. (7) Sony Ericsson X1 Xperia
10. (-) Nokia 3120
The most noteworthy new entry is the Nokia 5800 (XpressMusic), and the holster-maker’s CEO reckons it would shake up the top 3 next month. After Nokia’s most recent US launch disaster (see even more poignantly here) for the device, this will sadly but almost certainly not be driven by US sales though…
And as for the remainder: I remain skeptical about the measure (holsters). Other surveys (based on sales, like Sound-Scan used to do for CDs) show VERY different results.
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There’s new data out on the bestselling handsets, and this time it is not being derived from accessory sales (which may have its flaws as I pointed out here) but from a survey amongst service reps and store managers across the 4 big US mobile networks (Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile; these comprise 85% of the total subscriber base). Now, this would arguably reduce the recorded sales for the iPhone since this is also being sold via Apple’s own retail stores as well as Walmart, Best Buy, etc. So again not an entirely accurate yardstick, huh?

It is noteworthy that only one handset is available on more than one carrier (and, yes, it ranks prominently amongst the top 1) and that Nokia, despite all waiting, has still not managed to break the top 10.
It is also noteworthy that most of the handsets would certainly be classified at smartphones (the Samsung Rant might be the exception). And this is certainly good news. The T-610 and RAZR may finally have left the building…
So here we go (number in brackets is the previous month’s rank):
1. (1) Blackberry Curve
2. (2) iPhone
3. (3) Blackberry Storm
4. (6) LG Voyager
5. (4) LG Dare
6. (5) Blackberry Bold
7. (-) Samsung Rant
8. (9) Samsung Behold
9. (10) Samsung Instinct
10. (8) LG Env2
Source: Rankings are by Avian Research LL.C. (via the above link)
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Top 10 Mobile Phones in January

On 31/01/2009, in OEM, by Volker

Our beloved manufacturer of carrying cases for portable electronics, Krusell, enlightens us again with their top 10 list of best-selling phones for the month of January 2009 (or should that be best-selling phone holsters?). 

1. (1) Samsung SGH-i900/i910 Omnia
2. (-) HTC Touch HD
3. (9) Nokia E51
4. (-) Blackberry Storm
5. (2) Nokia 6300
6. (5) Nokia 3109
7. (7) Sony Ericsson X1 Experia
8. (8) Nokia E71
9. (-) Nokia 6220
10. (10) HTC Diamond
The number in brackets is the rank from the prior month.
Now, as compared to all of 2008, the iPhone went from #1 to nowhere. I explained this before: they track phone sales by the number of model-specific accessories sold, and I am still not sure if that makes any sense. I see this more in practical terms: the “suits” carrying around their business phones do not seem to have the fashion sense to realize that specific phone cases is nothing that one does (this is also popular with taxi drivers), and therefore it seems obvious that a lot of “business-type” phones are in the list (and none of the “classic” Blackberries because they have their uber-cool faux-leather holster in the box (and, yes, that’s the piece I throw away first!). 
Let me know what you think!
Photo credit: http://blogfreespringfield.com/wp-content/uploads/image/holster.jpg

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