The growth in smartphone shipment penetration will be driven by the rapidly growing low-cost smartphone segment. ABI Research forecasts that smartphones with wholesale ASPs below 250 dollars will account for 62 percent of smartphone shipments by 2018.
Michael Morgan, senior analyst at ABI Research, said that barring an unlikely collapse in Samsung's business, even Apple will be chasing Samsung's technology, software, and device leadership in 2013 through the foreseeable future, the report said.
Since 2010, Samsung has grown its smartphone market share from 8 percent to over 30 percent in 2012; meanwhile Apple's market share is expected to peak in 2013 at 22 percent, the report added.