Approximately everyone on the planet is a proud owner of a smartphone. Just a couple of years ago, a device which combined the functions of a mobile phone, computer and other useful options managed to gain popularity of users all over the world. An army of owners is growing every day. According to the latest data, smartphone sales rose beyond one billion units for the first time ever. Findings from IDC's survey show that the smartphone market hit a milestone in 2013 with more than a billion shipped, up 38.4 percent from 2012. Smartphones made up 55 percent of the total mobile phone shipments. In other words, one in two purchased phones is a smartphone. Samsung is the world’s biggest vendor, accounting for 31.3 percent of sales, ahead of Apple’s 15.3 percent. China’s Huawei and South Korea’s LG take the third and fourth position respectively. Lenovo rounds out the list of top five vendors. Analysts found out why smartphones are so popular. The secret is wide functionality, large screen, and low cost. If your model has all of these features, the success is in the bag. The biggest markets such as India and China opt for cheaper models worth up to $150, but the volume of purchased gadgets regularly provides record sales. All in all, the mobile phone market leader is still Samsung with its sales up 9 percent in 2013. Nokia is the same second despite the fact its sales bounced back by 25 percent. LG showed the strongest growth – up 23 percent.
