Multi-core smartphone applications processors gained strong traction in Q3 2011, accounting for almost 25 percent of total smartphone applications processors shipped in Q3 2011, according to Strategy Analytics. This growth can be attributed to strong holiday quarter demand for flagship multi-core smartphones from major smartphone manufacturers.

Manufacturers use multi-core processors for smartphone feature differentiation. According to Strategy Analytics, Samsung's multi-core applications processors for smartphones led the market with 57 percent unit shipment share in Q3 2011, followed by Qualcomm with 18 percent, Texas Instruments and NVIDIA.

In contrast to the single-core processor market, stand-alone applications processors dominated the multi-core smartphone applications processor market, which accounted for 90 percent of total multi-core smartphone applications processors shipped in Q3 2011.

According to Stuart Robinson, Director of the Strategy Analytics Handset Component Technologies service, "Despite being bit late to market with dual-core processors, Texas Instruments ranked number three and took 13 percent share in the multi-core smartphone applications processor market in Q3 2011, thanks to its high-profile design-wins. According to Strategy Analytics, dual-core OMAP processors accounted for about 20 percent of Texas Instruments total smartphone applications processors shipped in Q3 2011."

"Smartphones with multi-core applications processors will make up 17 percent of the smartphones shipped in 2011, up from almost negligible shipment numbers in 2010, said Sravan Kundojjala, Senior Analyst. "Samsung, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and NVIDIA will benefit from this growth and account for almost all multi-core smartphone processors shipped in 2011."