[Galaxy S 4 General] BarryH_GEG:
Everybody keeps defending HTC as if they provide some necessary public service or were the victims of some diabolic plot at the hands of others and deserve sympathy for it.

The Xperia Z will sell more this year than the One will. Sony deserves a lot of credit for the steps they've taken in their mobile business. They took over Ericsson's stake so that they could control the product and distribution and have quickly launched impressive devices and are in the process of launching more. They are doing the right things quickly and it's showing in sales and market share. Their moving faster than Google<>Motorola and deserve credit for their efforts.

One way of gauging just how popular a particular device is would be simple – just take the most basic of metrics, which is not word of mouth or apparent popularity based on the number of folks on the subway you see that use said device, but rather, head for the jugular by checking out the official sales figures. Yes sir, it is not too long since the Sony Xperia Z launched, where we are now hearing positive news concerning its sales figures, achieving the 5 million units sold recently.

All right, so it is not quite 5 million just yet, as

Sony has already moved 4.6 million Xperia Z handsets from store shelves and carrier websites into the hands of users, taking just 40 days

after its initial release to achieve this particular milestone, which means that 5 million units are definitely in sight, and it should be achieved shortly if all things were to move as expected. After all, a beautiful handset like this which is also tough, being dustproof and waterproof, can be rather difficult to resist, don’t you think so?​

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2013/04/sony-xperia-z-sold-nearly-5-million-units/

Sony appears to be ready to try to capitalize on the Xperia Z's success and keep the momentum going, at least in the U.S., with plans to expand their retail footprint through the use of stand-alone stores and freestanding Galleries. Analysts indicate the Xperia Z’s success can be attributed to three main factors. First, Sony got a jump on other manufacturers by releasing the Xperia Z early in the year and shipping in March, meaning they have not had to compete with other flagship devices that many people are waiting for. Second, with features like the Exmor RS camera lens and being waterproof and dustproof, the device not only competes well against other top-end smartphones, it is able to bring something unique to the table. Finally, the Xperia Z being made from glass is appealing to many buyers who perceive it as being an elegant device.​

http://www.talkandroid.com/158470-s...print-amongst-successful-sony-xperia-z-sales/

And LG deserves props too. The O2X/G2X was a pretty crappy effort and they lost the momentum launching the first "dual core" smartphone should have given them. Since then each phone they've launched has gotten better and better and getting the Nexus deal for the N4 was a coop for them. They've also invested heavily in getting their s/w act together and offer as many s/w features on their devices now as Samsung does. The OG Pro 5.5" is a well done device and leaks of their upcoming devices show some pretty impressive offerings. They too are growing in sales and market share.

And the progress Sony and LG have made has been slow and steady and taken 12-18 months to see the benefits of. And it was accomplished with multiple products across multiple market segments, enhancing distribution, and a focus on emerging markets that began a year ago. During that time HTC continued to focus on high-end flagship devices trying to outdo Samsung for "best Android phone," shutting down regions (Brazil, Japan) because of resource constraints, and just entered China a year after everyone else did. So I'm not "pro" Samsung; I'm "anti" stupid. ;)