Samsung Corp. is far and away the global smartphone market leader, commanding an impressive 32.6 percent share in the second quarter of 2012, according to IDC .

Not only that, the South Korean vendor is also leading the overall mobile device market: Samsung, which has just reported record quarterly operating profits of 6.72 trillion won (US$5.9 billion), took that spot from Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) during the first quarter. (See Nokia Loses Its Mobile Crown.)

The table below tells the smartphone market story. What's interesting, apart from the overall pace of growth, is how Samsung and Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) combined now account for about half of the total market. And look out for ZTE Corp. (Shenzhen: 000063; Hong Kong: 0763), which is making progress that matches its ambition. (See ZTE's Grand Smartphone Plans.)

Table 1: Smartphone Shipments and Market Share, Q2 2012

Shipments in millions	Q2 2012 units	Q2 2012 market share	Q2 2011 units	Q2 2011 market share	YoY change
Samsung	50.2	32.6%	18.4	17.0%	172.8%
Apple	26.0	16.9%	20.4	18.8%	27.5%
Nokia	10.2	6.6%	16.7	15.4%	-38.9%
HTC	8.8	5.7%	11.6	10.7%	-24.1%
ZTE	8.0	5.2%	2.0	1.8%	300.0%
Others	50.7	32.9%	39.2	36.2%	29.3%
Total	153.9	100%	108.3	100%	42.1%
Source: IDC Note: Vendor shipments are branded shipments and exclude OEM sales for all vendors.

In the overall mobile phone segment, Samsung is the clear market leader, leaving Nokia to lick its wounds in second place.

Table 2: Mobile Phone Shipments and Market Share, Q2 2012

Shipments in millions	Q2 2012 units	Q2 2012 market share	Q2 2011 units	Q2 2011 market share	YoY change
Samsung	97.8	24.1%	75.4	18.8%	29.7%
Nokia	83.7	20.6%	88.5	22.0%	-5.4%
Apple	26.0	6.4%	20.4	5.1%	27.5%
ZTE	17.7	4.4%	16.3	4.1%	8.6%
LG Electronics	13.1	3.2%	24.8	6.2%	-47.2%
Others	167.7	41.3%	176.4	43.9%	-4.9%
Total	406.0	100%	401.8	100%	1.0%
Source: IDC Note: Vendor shipments are branded shipments and exclude OEM sales for all vendors.

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading