Overall, smartphone shipments grew 4.3% worldwide, as opposed to IDC’s prediction of 3.6% for Q1 2017.
The International Data Corporation, IDC, has released smartphone shipment statistics for the first three months of the year. As per the report, Samsung is leading the pack with a worldwide smartphone shipment volume of 79.2 million and a global market share of 22.8% in Q1 2017. Numbers for Samsung’s smartphone sales look solid at the back of Galaxy S8 pre-orders and other budget, mid-segment options introduced by the Korean smartphone-maker in different parts of the world. "Although we have seen an abundance of premium redesigned flagships that just entered the market, moving forward, we still expect most of the growth to come from more affordable models in a variety of markets" said Anthony Scarsella, research manager with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.
Cupertino-based iPhone maker, Apple, rests comfortably at the number two spot. Apple shipped a total of 51.6 million iPhone units worldwide in Q1 2017, significantly lower than that of Samsung’s. Looks like Apple’s premium price tags did not help boost growth. The company has barely managed to climb 0.8% year-on-year since Q1 2016, when it registered a shipment volume of 51.2 million. In fact, Apple’s market share has declined from 15.4% in Q1 2016 to 14.9% in Q1 2017.
What’s interesting to note is that Chinese smartphone makers are inching ever so close to the top this quarter. As per IDC’s report, Huawei, Oppo and Vivo have claimed to the number 3, 4 and 5 spots respectively when it comes to smartphone shipments and market share in the world this quarter. Huawei shipped 34.2 million smartphones, gaining a market share of 9.8% in Q1 2017. Oppo closed in with 25.6 million shipments and a 7.4% market share, while Vivo shipped 18.1 million handsets, giving it a global market share of 5.2%. The Chinese trio are also leading smartphone shipments in their home market, as Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi scramble to compete against them.
Overall, smartphone shipments grew 4.3% worldwide, as opposed to IDC’s prediction of 3.6% for Q1 2017. "The first quarter smartphone results further prove that the smartphone industry is not dead and that growth still exists," said Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers. "There is no question that 2016 was a pivotal year for the industry as growth dipped to low single digits for the first time. However, we believe the industry will show some rebound in 2017, and the strong first quarter results certainly support this argument. In addition to what shipped in 1Q17, big flagship announcements from Huawei with the P10 devices and Samsung with the Galaxy S8 devices show that innovation is still possible. And despite any formal announcements from Apple, it is safe to say the industry is highly anticipating what comes from this year's iPhone announcements."
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