Samsung sold more phones than Nokia in Europe last quarter, Apple more smartphones

It looks like Samsung is well on its way with its self-imposed target to become the world's largest cell phone manufacturer by 2014.

The first quarter of this year saw it sell 13.2 million phones in Europe, for the first time more than Nokia's 12.6 million units. This leaves Nokia with strongholds mainly in Asia and Africa, and it is selling a huge amount of phones there, unlikely to be overthrown soon, unless affordable Androids make a dent in its market share in those regions.

Samsung, however, said in its latest earnings release slides that it is seeing a huge potential for growth with precisely low-end Android phones in emerging markets, so Nokia might have a hard time defending this turf as well, while it is transitioning from Symbian in the next few years. Have a look at Europe's numbers for the quarter ending March of this year, courtesy of IDC:

Vendor	1Q11 Unit Shipments	1Q11 Market Share	1Q10 Unit Shipments	1Q10 Market Share	1Q11/1Q10 Change
1. Samsung	13.2	29.3%	12.5	29.1%	5%
2. Nokia	12.6	27.9%	14.0	32.7%	-10%
3. Apple	4.4	9.8%	3.0	6.9%	49%
4. Research in Motion	3.5	7.8%	2.4	5.5%	48%
5. HTC	3.5	7.8%	0.9	2.2%	271%
Others	7.8	17.4%	10.1	23.6%	-22%
Total	45.0	100%	42.9	100%	5%

Moreover, Nokia was overtaken in smartphone sales too, this time by Apple, which sold 4.4 million iPhones, compared to Nokia's 4.2 million smartphone units:

Vendor	1Q11 Unit Shipments	1Q11 Market Share	1Q10 Unit Shipments	1Q10 Market Share	1Q11/1Q10 Change
1. Apple	4.4	20.8%	3.0	24.6%	49%
2. Nokia	4.2	19.6%	4.9	40.6%	-15%
3. Research in Motion	3.5	16.5%	2.4	19.6%	48%
4. HTC	3.5	16.5%	0.9	7.8%	271%
5. Samsung	2.6	12.1%	0.3	2.5%	744%
Others	3.0	14.5%	0.6	4.9%	414%
Total	21.2	100%	12.1	100%	76%

Samsung's vows were, of course, set before the Nokia Windows Phone adventure was announced in February this year, which changed the horizon quite a bit. Until the first Nokia handset with the Windows Phone mobile OS ships, though, Samsung will undoubtedly push as strong and hard as it can, to gain market share, and bring itself closer to the stated goal of becoming world's number one cell phone maker.

source: IDC