SMARTPHONES OUTSELL FEATURE PHONES IN Q1

SMARTPHONES OUTSELL FEATURE PHONES IN Q1

According to a report by research firm IDC, smartphones have officially surpassed feature phones as the most popular type of phone in the world. Of the 418.6 million mobile phones shipped in the first quarter this year, 216.12 million were smartphones. This marks the first time that smartphones accounted for the majority of global mobile phone shipments. Much of the growth in smartphone shipments is due to increased demand in emerging markets. As hundred of millions of feature phone users make the switch to smartphones over the coming years, smartphone sales will grow even faster.

With 70.7 million shipments in Q1, Samsung led the global smartphone market with a 32.7% market share. Apple was a somewhat distant second, accounting for 17.3% of smartphone shipments with 27.4 million handsets shipped in the quarter. LG, Huawei, and ZTE rounded out the top five with about 4.5% market share each. When accounting for feature phones, Nokia was the second most popular mobile phone vendor, with 61.9 million of the 418.6 million mobile phones shipped in Q1.

Despite Nokia’s success in the feature phone market, and throughout the developing world, the company is losing ground to its many competitors. While the company used to have a competitive advantage in affordability, handset manufacturers such as Huawei, Micromax, and Karbonn have captured former feature phone users with android-powered smartphones priced as low as $40. Thanks to low-priced handsets like these, smartphones will continue to capture an even larger share of mobile phone shipments. If rumors of a low-priced iPhone turn out to be true, Apple stands to gain even more ground in a competitive global smartphone market. 

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