ABI: Chinese handset makers are putting more pressure on market leaders

The numbers are in, and it's time to make sense of the data. ABI Research's Michael Morgan checks out the world's 14 largest branded cell phone makers in the second quarter of 2013, providing sales data as well as insight into their strategy and competitive position in the market. While most research firms look at only the top 5 handset or smartphone players' performance in a given quarter, ABI goes deeper than that and looks at the how smaller players are doing. One striking but seemingly obvious finding from the report is the rising strength of smaller Chinese players beyond ZTE and Huawei. TCL, Lenovo, Yulong (Coolpad) and Xiaomi are all showing signs that can pressure larger rivals. For an in-depth look at how handset makers' fared in the second quarter, check out this special report.