Samsung Phone Sales Falling

If anything is certain, the future is bright for smartphone sales. Each month, market researchers release new studies showing that smartphone shipments continue to soar and device makers are generating more cash on those products than any other type of mobile phone.

A recent study from research firm eMarketer even showed that in a few short years smartphones will outpace feature phones in total shipments. What's more, they won't look back:

Feature phone shipments are expected to decline considerably in the coming years. But while all of that seems to be positive for the industry and phone makers, not every company is getting the kind of benefit they might hope to see. In fact, a recent study by research firm Gartner on the smartphone and feature phone markets during the third quarter shows that Samsung is in rough shape, with its smartphone shipments falling year-over-year. That stands in stark contrast to just about every other device maker, whose device shipments rose during the period. Gartner's findings provide an insightful look at where the smartphone market stands today, what companies performed best during the third quarter and how the market will evolve over the next few years.