MUMBAI: Emerging as the leader in global mobile shipments, Samsung has recorded the maximum number of handsets shipped in 2012, beating rivals like Nokia and Apple for the first time in 14 years, according to a report by the American research company IHS' iSuppli Mobile and Wireless Communications Service.

Toppling off Nokia from the number one spot, Samsung now accounts for around 29 per cent of global mobile phone shipments, up from 24 per cent in 2011. On the other hand, Nokia’s global shipments fell from 30 per cent in 2011 to 24 per cent this year.

Apple attained the third position with a rise in its shipments from 7 per cent to 10 per cent. ZTE witnessed no change with a total of 6 per cent shipments, while LG rounded off the top five with a fall of 2 per cent to 4 per cent of shipments in 2012.

In a statement, IHS senior analyst for wireless communications Wayne Lam said, “Smartphones represent the fastest growing segment of the mobile phone market, and will account for nearly half of all wireless handset shipments for all of 2012. Samsung’s successes and Nokia’s struggles in the market this year were determined entirely by the two companies’ divergent fortunes in the smartphone sector.”

The Korean handset maker Samsung also retained the top position on the leader board in smartphone shipments which witnessed an increase from 20 per cent in 2011 to 28 per cent this year.

Apple came in at second with a rise of 1 per cent to 20 per cent this year. Meanwhile, Nokia lost out on the smartphone war, with a drop of 11 per cent in smartphone shipments from 16 per cent in 2011 to 5 per cent in 2012. HTC and RIM also witnessed a drop of 4 per cent and 6 per cent respectively, registering 5 per cent of smartphone shipments this year.

According to the report, while smartphone shipments are expected to increase by 35.5 per cent in 2012, overall mobile shipments are predicted to increase just 1 per cent. Samsung and Apple will account for 49 per cent of all smartphone shipments in 2012, an increase of 10 per cent from 2011.

Sales of Nokia's older Symbian-based phones have plunged, while its new Microsoft Windows-based handsets have been modest so far.

IHS said Samsung, which was in a tight battle in 2011 with Apple, has moved ahead decisively ahead of the California giant with a wide range of Android smartphone offerings, while Apple limited its smartphones to the premium iPhone line.

IHS said it expects smartphones gains to accelerate in 2013, and to account for 56 percent of the mobile phone market.