According to Gartner, global Q4 2018 smartphone sales total 408.4 million units-- essentially flat results showing all of 0.1% Y-o-Y growth, with Apple recording the worst quarterly decline since Q1 2016.
“Demand for entry-level and midprice smartphones remained strong across markets, but demand for high-end smartphones continued to slow in the fourth quarter of 2018,” the analyst remarks. “Slowing incremental innovation at the high end, coupled with price increases, deterred replacement decisions for high-end smartphones. This led to a flat-growth market in Q4 2018.”
iPhone sales hit 64.5m units in Q4 2018, a decline of -11.8% Y-o-Y. The double-digit decline is the biggest in the quarter among the top 5 smartphone vendors, as iPhone sales are down in all regions except N. America and mature Asia/Pacific. For 2018 as a whole, iPhone sales are down by -2.7%, reaching just over 209m, as Apple deals with buyers delaying upgrades while facing compelling high- and mid-price smartphone alternatives from Chinese vendors.
At the high end, Samsung smartphones such as the Galaxy S9, S9+ and Note9 struggle to drive Q4 2018 growth, leading to -4.4% Y-o-Y sales declines for the S. Korean giant and market share loss in W. Europe, Greater China and L. America. Overall 2018 Samsung sales are down by -8.2%. Meanwhile Xiaomi and Huawei continue to grab more market share from the midtier. Huawei Q4 2018 sales reach over 60m units, with the strongest growth among the top 5 vendors of 37.6% Y-o-Y.
In 2018 as a whole, global smartphone sales are up by 1.2% to 1.6 billion units. N. America, mature Asia/Pacific and Greater China record the worst declines of the year, at 6.8%, 3.4% and 3% respectively. Gartner says smartphone demand in mature markets depends on the appeal of flagship smartphones from the top 3 brands-- namely Samsung, Apple and Huawei-- and the 2 biggest vendors recorded declines in 2018.
