Since 2007, it  has been an uphill climb for most smartphone users such as Nokia, HTC, Motorola, LG, and Sony (Sony Ericsson) while Samsung and Apple enjoys the top spots in market share. And as the years go by, it seems there is nothing stopping these two giants. 

But for leading research firm GfK, it all boils down to 'not selling smartphones'. 

In a report by BGR, GfK's 's research director of business and technology Ryan Garner said smartphone manufacturers should begin selling lifestyles. 

"With so much choice and smartphone adoption moving into the late majority in many countries, the emphasis needs to shift from selling products to operating like a lifestyle brand," Garner wrote in a recent research note. "OEMs should move away from promoting product features as their headline story and look to other product categories for how to differentiate in an increasingly saturated and commoditised market. For example, Nike doesn't just sell trainers, it sells a fit and active lifestyle. Similarly, in technology markets, Bose does not sell speakers, it believes life is better with better sound." 

According to Garner, the primary selling point of devices nowadays are not technical specifications anymore. That's because most consumers are already expecting such features from top-notch devices. What manufacturers should focus on instead, is to promote what particular lifestyle their device can deliver or improve. 

Garner added that smartphones are highly-advanced devices which allow users to do a multitude of tasks, and oftentimes, certain key features are overlooked because the focus is always on hardware and software. 

But once struggling companies learn how to pitch in their products in such a way that it promotes a particular lifestyle (physical fitness, entertainment, multi-tasking, personal assistant, etc.), they will have a greater chance against perennial winners Samsung and Apple. 

He concluded that the struggle of certain OEM's is not good for the industry as a whole, and once manufacturers fail to battle it out based on features and capabilities, then it could all end up in pricing. 

"The only other way to compete in this fierce product category is on price. Once price becomes the primary lever, the game is truly over."