Nokia’s Marketplace Share Slumps, Unveils Brand-new Smartphone – CNBC. com – CNBC. com.

Nokia, battling to keep up with Samsung and Apple within the global phone race, lost almost 5 share points of market share inside first quarter, research company Gartner said on Tuesday.

Overall global sales figures for cell phones rose 0. 7 percent with the first three months within the year, driven by demand for smartphones and strong growth with the Asia Pacific region that helped to offset substantially weaker sales elsewhere.

Within the different vendors, Samsung took most of the gains, remaining in the main position with a market share of 23. 6 percent, ahead of Nokia concerning 14. 8 percent and Apple on 9 p . c. Nokia had held your 19. 7 percent share just this past year.

Those figures followed a 13 percent rise within sales by Samsung, some sort of 16 percent increase by way of Apple, and a per day percent fall by Nokia, balanced with the same period not too long ago.

So-called “smart feature phones” enjoy those in Nokia’s Asha wide variety have limited smartphone capabilities which include Internet and email get and touch screens but are cheaper than the likes of Samsung’s high-end Galaxy designs or Apple’s iPhone.

They’ve been crucial to Nokia’s future precisely as it defends its leading promote share in emerging economies which include India and Africa, while struggling to maintain in the smartphone race.

Worryingly for Nokia, still, Gartner said that overall sales with the cheaper feature phones have been slowing, as consumers kept hold of their phones for more time.

“Nokia’s mobile phone share dropped 4. 9 percentage points inside first quarter of 2013 mainly because of steep decline in feature phone sales, ” said Gartner in its sydney on the industry, which is closely watched for movements among vendors.

“Although Nokia’s Home’s windows Phone sales have sequentially improved, reaching a volume with 5. 1 million devices, Nokia is yet to work out high growth in that smartphone segment. Nokia’s position inside smartphone market dropped to be able to No. 10 in the pioneer quarter of 2013, coming from No. 8 in your fourth quarter of 2012. inch

Gartner said smartphones accounted for 49. 3 percent of sales of mobile phone globally, up from 44 percent with the fourth quarter of 2012.

“Feature phones users across the world are either finding their existing phones adequate or are waiting to get smartphones prices to tumble further, ” said study analyst Anshul Gupta.

“Either way the probability of longer replacement cycles is certainly nintendo wii news for both vendors and carriers seeking to move users forward. inch

Later on Tuesday, Nokia unveiled a lighter, metal type in its Lumia mobile range, as it tries to catch the attention of buyers to tight the huge market steer of rivals Samsung and Apple inside lucrative handset market.

The Lumia 925, to be sold with regard to 469 euros ($610) prior to when taxes and subsidies through carriers including Vodafone and China Portable, is the latest in Nokia’s range using Windows Phone software, on which Chief account manager Stephen Elop has pinned the longer term of the loss-making company to reverse a extraordinary drop in revenue during the last two years.

The phone weighs 139 grams, compared to 185 grams for the earlier 920 model, which some critics had said was too heavy.

The new phone is going to be rolled out globally starting up in June, and is due to be sold in the united states by T-Mobile and with China by China Mobile or portable and China Unicom, this said.

On Friday, Nokia unveiled the Lumia 928 for any U. S. market, coming in at $99 after a rebate as well as a two-year deal with Verizon Cellular.