Samsung expects whole business to grow

Samsung hopes to grow its entire cellphone base by 15 percent next year. Industry insiders reportedly talking to the Korea Economic Daily saw shipments growing from an estimated 325 million this year to 374 million in 2012. Most of that would come on the back of smartphone shipments, which would amount to 150 million of that group.

The company has had its best year for smartphones so far, based mostly on the success of the Galaxy S II but also a much larger smartphone family. Its shipments grew rapidly enough that, helped by the extended wait for the iPhone 4S, it outsold Apple in smartphones for at least one quarter. It may not repeat that in the fall given very high demand for the iPhone.

Overall growth would help buffer against a pattern seen among cellphone makers of their basic feature phone shipments stay flat or drop. Nokia is predicted to be slumping five percent, to 399 million, as its basic phone volume won't be enough to offset the decline of Symbian and supplement the slow rise of Windows Phone.

Most of Samsung's 2012 ambitions will become clear at Mobile World Congress in late February. It's presumed to be following a familiar pattern of a new Galaxy S phone and a new Galaxy Tab, both of which may ship in the spring. The Galaxy Nexus might play its own role as one of Google's first reference phones to possibly get mainstream success.

By Electronista Staff