By Juro Osawa HONG KONG--Samsung Electronics Co. (005930.SE) increased its share of the global smartphone market in the second quarter to widen its lead over Apple Inc. (AAPL), as the South Korean technology giant shipped 50.5 million smartphones, the largest number of units ever shipped by any vendor in a single quarter, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. The latest research results indicate that Samsung's strategy to sell smartphones in a broad price range from high-end models to more affordable ones, combined with its aggressive marketing campaigns, has been helping the company enhance its global market presence. At the same time, the year-on-year decline in Apple's market share shows that many consumers held off their purchases in the second quarter as they wait for the Cupertino, Calif., company to release its next iPhone, which some analysts expect will come out in September or October. Apple hasn't confirmed its launch plans for the next iPhone. According to the Strategy Analytics research, Samsung's smartphone market share nearly doubled to 34.6% in the quarter that ended June from 18.3% a year earlier, while Apple's share for the same quarter declined on the year to 17.8% from 18.4%. Apple shipped 26 million smartphones in the quarter. Finland's Nokia Corp. (NOK), which dominated the mobile handset market in the pre-smartphone era, saw its share of the global smartphone market plunge to 7% in the second quarter from 15.1% a year earlier, the research showed. Write to Juro Osawa at juro.osawa@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires
