ZTE expects a 40 percent jump in its smartphone sales in 2013, to 50 million units.
"We think next year will be very good (for smartphones)," He Shiyou, ZTE's executive director, told Reuters. However, the proclamation should be taken with a slight dose of skepticism; last week ZTE told analysts after it reported weak third-quarter earnings that it expects to sell 25 million smartphones in 2012, 10 million fewer than it initially forecasted. ZTE sold around 15 million smartphones in 2011.
Nevertheless, the Chinese vendor is making waves in the smartphone market. ZTE was the No. 4 overall handset company in the third quarter, according to research firm Strategy Analytics (IDC found ZTE as the No. 5 player). However, according IDC's tallies, ZTE was the No. 4 global smartphone vendor in the quarter.
According to IDC, ZTE shipped 7.5 million smartphones in the third quarter, up from 4.1 million in the year-ago period, and its global smartphone market share grew to 4.2 percent, up from 3.3 percent. ZTE captured market share at the expense HTC and Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM), which each lost share in the quarter.
The release of ZTE's forecast for next year coincided with the company's launch of its latest high-end smartphone, the Z5, which sports a 5-inch screen, 13-megapixel camera and a quad-core processor. The device will go on sale in China in December, with other markets to follow.
For more:
- see this Reuters article
- see this Engadget article
- see this IDG News Service article
Related Articles:
ZTE grabs smartphone market share from HTC, RIM in Q3
Intel lands ZTE deal, outlines product roadmap through 2014
ZTE loads up on Android, Windows and LTE with high-end devices
ZTE promises LTE smartphones and tablets for U.S. market in 2012