Market Stats

IDC: 3rd Consecutive Drop for Smartphones in 2019

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The smartphone market remains challenged in 2019, IDC reports-- so much so the market will experience a 3rd consecutive drop in annual shipments, as volumes fall by -0.8% in 2019 to reach 1.39 billion.

However the analyst does expect the market to pick up momentum in the year, with H2 2019 showing 2.3% Y-o-Y shipment growth. Over the long term, smartphone shipments are forecast to reach 1.54bn in 2023.

IDC 2019 mobile

"The biggest question that remains unanswered is what will bring the smartphone industry back to growth," the analyst says. "There is no question industry growth has been down for reasons that have already been identified-- longer replacement cycles, a challenged China market, and geopolitical headwinds-- but it is shortsighted to overlook the possibilities of some important technology advancements that are within reach with 5G probably being the most significant."

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Gartner: Smartphone Sales Stall in Q4 2018

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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.

Gartner Q4 2018 smartphone sales

“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.”

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IDC: Smartphone Woes Continue in Q4 2018

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The global smartphone market remains on the slide, IDC reports-- Q4 2019 shipments total 375.4 million units, a -4.9% Y-o-Y drop making a challenging holiday season the 5th consecutive quarter of decline.

Smartphone shipments for full-year 2018 total 1.4 billion units, a -4.1% decline, leading the analyst to predict 2019 will see further decline. After all, outside of a handful of high-growth S. E. Asian markets, the world sees little of positive activity in 2018. A number of factors bring such a situation, including lengthening replacement cycles, increasing penetration levels in many large markets, political and economic uncertainty and growing consumer frustration over continuously rising price points.

IDC mobile market

China remains the focal point for the global smartphone industry. After all, the most populous country in the world is also the largest market for such devices, accounting for around 30% of smartphone consumption. It also had a worse 2018 compared to previous years, with shipments falling by "just over" -10%.

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IDC: Tablet Market Continues to Struggle in Q3

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According to IDC, global tablet shipments are down by -8.6% Y-o-Y to reach 36.4 million units in Q3 2018-- with declines in both slate and detachable/hybrid tablet shipments.

Slate tablet shipments account for majority of market with 31.6m units, a -7.9% Y-o-Y decline. Detachable tablets, in the meantime, see a 13.1% Y-o-Y drop on shipments reaching 4.8m.

IDC Q3 2018 tablets

"The detachable market has failed to see growth in 2018, a worrying trend that has plagued the category off and on since the end of 2016," the analyst says. "In October we finally saw the highly anticipated refreshes of Apple's iPad Pro and Microsoft's Surface Pro, as well as new products by Samsung and Google, which lead us to believe that the last quarter of the year will turn the detachable category around, at least for the time being. Increasingly sparse are new products by the top-tier PC OEMs as they remain more focused on their convertible portfolio, a move that will ultimately affect the overall trajectory of the detachable market going forward."

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IDC: Challenging Q3 for Smartphones

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Global smartphone shipments total 355.2 million in Q3 2018-- a -6% Y-o-Y drop, making a 4th consecutive quarter of Y-o-Y declines for the global smartphone market, bringing about questions involving the future of the market.

IDC Q3 2018 smartphones

The analyst points out a major factors for the quarter. The first involves Samsung, largest smartphone vendor in terms of market share, accounting for 20.3% of Q3 2018 shipments even as sees a -13.4% Y-o-Y drop. Samsung shipments total 72.2m units, and the company faces challenges from all directions. Huawei is getting increasingly closer to the top as it holds on the 2nd position in the vendor rankings Meanwhile Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo prove are finding success in growing markets where Samsung held top position for many years.

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