The percentage of touch-screen phones making up the total handset shipment is rapidly increasing, from 13.9 percent in 2007 to 37.2 percent this year. In response, Korea mobile phone makers Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics reportedly plan to increase their production of touch-screen phones.

Samsung is expected to provide 57 million units of touch-screen phones this year, and will increase shipments by 100 million units, or 45 percent of the company’s total mobile phone shipments, Shinhan Investment said in a recent report. LG also plans to expand its percentage of touch-screen phones from 36 percent of total mobile phone shipments this year to 40 percent next year.
In particular, Korean handset makers are considering adopting capacitive touch-screen displays for their mobile phones. According to financial forecasting, Samsung plans to make 65 percent of its touch-screen phones with these displays, while LG will make 20 percent next year.

Thanks to the success of Apple’s iPhone, capacitive touch-screen phones are gaining momentum. Motorola’s Droid has also adopted capacitive touch-screen features. Shipments of phones with capacitive touch-screen displays are expected to nearly quadruple between 2008 and 2013, according to the market research firm iSuppli. The capacitive phone appeals to users who require high-speed response and long-lasting reliability. Unlike the resistive-type phones, capacitive phones have no need of stylus pens. However, they are more expensive than resistive types.

Samsung said that it sold 10 million units of the Star, its touch-screen phone, just six months after its release. “Samsung is aiming to take the lead in the global touch-screen mobile market with our diverse product line-up and customized, unique marketing approach,” said Young-hee Lee, Samsung’s VP of marketing.

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