The top five handset makers capped off a challenging year with a solid fourth quarter, allowing for cautious optimism about 2010. Approximately 336.5 million handsets were shipped in Q4 of 2009, up 15.1% from the previous quarter, ABI Research reported today. At the same time, competition drove the average price of handsets down 2% to $117.55.
Shipments for the year only shrank 4.5% to 1.153 billion, a positive outcome considering the economic conditions and lack of consumer confidence that punctuated the first half of the year. ABI is forecasting mobile phone shipments to expand to 1.2 billion in 2010.
In terms of market share, Nokia maintained its leadership, capturing 37.7% of the market. It was followed closely by growth juggernaut Samsung, which increased its market share from 15.2% to 20.5% between June 2008 and December 2009. Fellow Korean vendor LG came in with 10.1% of the market. Motorola, while posting a profit, captured only 3.6% of the market, trailing behind Sony Ericsson at 4.3% market share. Both Motorola and Sony Ericsson are counting on Android for their revival in 2010. Outside of the top five, HTC improved slightly in Q4 to 1% market share.