Nokia has made strides in restoring its reputation among its UK consumers, according to research from YouGov. The market research expert’s Smartphone Mobile Internet eXperiences tracker (SMIX) shows that the Finnish firm substantially improved its levels of customer advocacy and loyalty during the last three months of 2012.

In the final quarter of the year, the number of Nokia customers that said they would recommend Nokia handsets to others rose by 13 per cent to 45 per cent. In the same period, its detractors fell from 37 per cent to 33 per cent.

Nokia’s UK smartphone market share fell from 30 per cent in December 2009 to six per cent in September 2012, YouGov said. However, with 40 per cent of its customers now using the firm’s flagship Lumia devices, there has been a sharp upturn in its customer satisfaction ratings.

Over the final quarter of 2012, Nokia saw a 12 per cent improvement in the number of customers saying they would get a Nokia next time; from 30 per cent in September 2012 to 42 per cent in December 2012. However, among smartphone manufacturers Apple retains the highest loyalty ratings, with 80 per cent of its customers saying their next phone would be an iPhone.

“Nokia has finally turned a corner. By increasing the number of Lumias in its base it has given its customers something worth coming back to,” said Russell Feldman, associate director at YouGov.

“It is now seen by its consumers as a quality smartphone brand. While they are still a fair distance behind Apple and Samsung in terms of market share and loyalty, the fact they have changed consumer perception among their customers puts them in a solid position as the smartphone war intensifies.”