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Seven years ago today, Samsung beat Nokia to become global #1 OEM
June 28, 2025
Nokiahad enjoyed 14 years as the number one global cell phone maker. The Finnish company’s phones were ubiquitous throughout the late 90s and 2000s, but the rise of the smartphone era would see it stumble.
By the end of thefirst quarter of 2012,Samsunghad charged ahead of its rival in global smartphone shipments, and Nokia would continue to nosedive thereafter.
Nokia had made a few significant missteps towards the end of its reign: the company had been focusing on its own Symbian platform believing it wouldbecome a viable competitorto iOS and Android, before signing a deal with Microsoft to create products for another doomed mobile platform — Windows Phone.
But it wasn’t just Nokia’s decisions that meant it couldn’t sustain the top global vendor slot. Nokia’s major rivals,Appleand Samsung, happened to be making some of their best products ever.
At that time, Samsung was already on the verge of releasing theGalaxy S3in Q2 2012, having produced arguably its first truly exceptional smartphone, theGalaxy S2.Apple, meanwhile, wasn’t doing too bad either, having alreadydethroned Nokia once in 2011following the release of the iPhone 4.
Apple and Samsung have shown little signs of slowing down in the mobile landscape since then — even in the face of misfires like anoverheating flagshipand abending iPhone 6. They’ve enjoyed placements in the top two mobile vendor spots through to present day, thoughHUAWEI is now nipping at their heelsand recently shunted Apple down to third place.
Microsoft bought Nokia’s mobile division in 2013 and failed to spin it into a success, but it was far from the end for the brand. Since HMD Global formed and picked up the Nokia mantle in 2016, it hasshipped more than 70 million Nokia-branded phones, and put other Android OEMs to shame withregards to device updates. It also reached the number nine slot in global smartphone shipmentslast year.
Nokia’s best days look like they may be behind it, but few would have predicted such a comeback for the brand. If the past two years of progress is anything to go by, who knows what the future holds.
For more onwhat we expect from Nokia in 2019, hit the link.
Up next:The best Nokia phones you may buy
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