With 2011 drawing to a close and 3G preparing for a well-earned Christmas break we thought it was a good time to review the major releases and events of 2011.

 

 

The Biggest Smartphone Battle Ever !

 

The smartphone market in 2011 was dominated by the release of two mobiles, which have now become bitter rivals !

 

Samsung Galaxy SII

 

The first of which is the Samsung Galaxy SII , which launched back in May, and  hit 5 million sales after just 2 months and went on to hit the 20 million mark in October.

 

The Galaxy SII also won numerous awards including European Mobile Phone 2011 to 2012 from the European Imaging and Sound Association ( EISA ).  3G's review of the Samsung Galaxy SII concluded that it was the "best Android handset yet, the Samsung Galaxy S II excels in all areas".

 

The year ended on an excellent note for Samsung when they announced they've become only the second company to reach 300 million mobiles sales in a calender year.

 

Apple iPhone 4S

 

The most talked about and anticipated launch of the year was undoubtedly the iPhone 4S.

 

When it was finally unveiled in October it was initially criticized by analysts who claimed it was too similar to the iPhone 4. The main improvement it brought was the launch of iOS 5, which brought Siri voice control !

 

However, the consumer reaction has totally justified Apple's decision with the iPhone 4S going on to smash all records by selling 4 million units in its first weekend.

 

Our review of the iPhone 4S concluded that “the upgrades to the iPhone 4S mean that it offers pretty much everything that you’ll find on other high-end smartphones and more”

 

One bad point for Apple was the battery problems which plagued the iPhone 4S’s launch, but compared to the antenna problem on the iPhone 4 it was a minor problem.

 

The battle between the iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy SII still rages today and we wrote a comprehensive guide comparing the two mobiles, which we called the Clash of the Titans.

 

The death of Steve Jobs

The most tragic news of 2011 came just a day after Apple announced the iPhone 4S when Steve Jobs passed away.

 

Perhaps the most influential man of the last 10 years lost his long-running battle against pancreatic cancer on October 5^th 2011. The whole mobile industry praised the founder of Apple who had over 30 mobile patents and continued to innovate even in the last months of his life.

 

Steve Jobs and Apple revolutionized the music industry with the iPod and iTunes, the mobile market with the iPhone and the tablet market with the iPad.

 

It remains to be seen how well Apple will cope without their charismatic leader, but everyone loses with the passing of such an innovative and pioneering man.

 

The Rise of the Tablet

Tablets have continued to grow in popularity in 2011 and the iPad 2 was probably the must-have gadget of the year.

 

The iPad 2 which launched in March has gone on to sell in record numbers and is expected to have an amazing Christmas.

 

A huge number of Android tablets have launched in 2011 with noticeable devices including the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Asus EEE Pad Transformer, Motorola XOOM and the HTC Flyer.

 

Perhaps the biggest threat to the iPad 2 right now is the smaller Amazon Kindle Fire, which Amazon are selling at a loss to try and establish market share. Apple is expected to respond in 2012 with the launch of the iPad Mini.

 

 Nokia Moves To Windows Phone

Nokia have been having a desperate time of late in the smartphone market which led them to announcing they’d be using the Windows Phone operating system in their mobiles.

 

This is the first time Nokia has used a third-party operating system and ranks among one of the most surprising announcements of the year.

 

The first Nokia smartphone to launch running Windows Phone was the Nokia Lumia 800, which benefited from a huge advertising campaign. However, recent reports suggest that the mobile isn’t fairing as well as Nokia would hope and Nokia have a huge year ahead of them.

 

Android Dominates !

2011 was really the year of Android in the operating system market.

 

We have no idea how many Android devices have launched in 2011, but the number is probably too many to count.

 

Reports have shown that Google Android now commands over 50 per cent of the smartphone market and that the company is activating 700,000 Android devices a day. The total number of Android devices reached 200 million back in October, which is a truly staggering achievement.

We can only see Android going from strength to strength over the next year due to launch of Ice Cream Sandwich and more and more devices launching !

 

Conclusion

 

3G thinks 2011 has been the best ever year for consumers with so many amazing tablets and smartphones hitting the market.

 

Apple have continued to dominate with its iPhone and iPad , but now have rivals with the Galaxy SII and Amazon Kindle Fire hunting them down !

 

2012 should be an even better year and we can’t wait for quad-core smartphones, the iPad 3 , iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy SIII.

For now 3G would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !