Top Smartphone Brands: Ranking The Industry's Best Smartphone Makers, Samsung Bags Top Spot

The smartphone market has been at its peak in 2011 and 2012 with the emergence of quality innovations and developments. However, this year has not been too kind for manufacturers, with overall sales going down by as much as 10 percent. Still, the dedication and commitment of smartphone makers to bring in fresh and compromise-free devices make the competition tighter, but to the benefit of consumers. 

As we head towards the last quarter of the year, here are the top smartphone company performers:

5. HTC 

The Taiwanese company's grip on the market is slowly slipping away, with marketing and strategy problems plaguing the entire company. According to former and current executives, CEO Peter Chou is slowly bringing the entire corporation down. In a report by GSM Arena, it seems even Beats Audio is planning to abandon ship before it totally sinks. According to rumors, it might buy out the remaining shares of HTC in order to free itself from the partnership that most people thought would be ground-breaking in the industry. 

4. Nokia

Nokia is still hanging there. In spite being dethroned from being the top mobile phone maker by Samsung, the Finnish company is still doing  great job in developing and promoting its Lumia lineup. While there are still some consumers who think Nokia is wasting its time and money on Windows Phone OS, the reputable increase in sales in emerging markets is proof that the manufacturer can still work its magic. However, how long would be the good question.

3. Sony

Slowly but surely, Sony has been making waves in the Android portion of the market with its witty marketing ads and campaigns. Its upcoming device, the Xperia Z1 or Honami has already sparked great interest among smartphone owners both locally and internationally. One thing the Japanese company needs to work on though is implementation. It should make sure that what it advertises really works. 

2. Apple

At last Apple made the first move that would potentially bring back the glory days. This year it will release two new iPhones, a first in history - the iPhone 5S, and the midrange iPhone 5C. While this is definitely one step forward in gaining momentum in emerging markets, it is still not enough to take away the top spot from our number one company. 

1. Samsung

Since it became the smartphone king more than a year ago, it has been on a roll. It eventually overtook Nokia's lead as the top mobile phone maker in the world - not a small feat at all. This year, Samsung has already saturated the market with its phones ranging from budget to high-end, and this strategy has worked wonders for the Korean-based manufacturer. Would the release of Galaxy Note 3 add to this already commanding lead?