Sony Corp. not only has serious intentions to return to the market of high-end smartphones, but also wants to become a major player on the market of mobile communications in general. The company intends to leave behind Huawei and projects that only Apple and Samsung will be ahead of it. It does not seem that Sony considers BlackBerry and Nokia Corp. strong players anymore.

Kunimasa Suzuki, the head of Sony's mobile business, said at a roundtable briefing in Tokyo, that the firm wishes to win third place in smartphone markets around the world behind Apple and Samsung Electronics, reports Reuters news-agency. Sony plans to adjust smartphone development for each market, which may mean that the company will design both high-end products for developed markets as well as low-end handsets for emerging markets.

In the worldwide smartphone market, vendors shipped 219.4 million units in Q4 2012, which represents 45.5% of all mobile phone shipments, the highest percentage ever. Sony shipped 9.8 million (4.5%) smartphones in the fourth quarter, 2012, and was just a million of units, or 0.4% market share, behind Huawei.

For Sony it should be relatively easy to outpace Huawei and keep ZTE behind, thanks to its strategy for becoming the worldwide leader in mobile entertainment combined with its growing portfolio of high-end smartphones. However, there are companies like BlackBerry, Nokia and LG Electronics, who have a lot of ambitions and abilities to compete against Sony thanks to good relationships with software developers and entertainment industry.

"The fact that Huawei and ZTE now find themselves among the Top 5 smartphone vendors marks a significant shift for the global market. Both companies have grown volumes by focusing on the mass market, but in recent quarters they have turned their attention toward higher-end devices. In addition, both companies have pushed the envelope in terms of industrial design with larger displays and smaller form factors, as well as innovative applications and experiences," said Ramon Llamas, research manager with IDC's mobile phone team.

Tags: Sony, LG Electronics, Nokia, HTC, Huawei, ZTE, Samsung, Apple