Smartphone shipments rose 6.8 percent to 355.2 million in the third quarter of 2015 from 332.6 million in Q3 2014, said IDC.
Samsung shipped 84.5 million units (+6.1 percent). The smartphone market share of Samsung was 23.8 percent (23.9 percent in Q3 2014).
Samsung, the Korean electronics giant, focused on premium handsets with the launch of two new flagship devices, the Galaxy S6 edge + and Note5. Outside of the key flagship models, sub-$200 devices (Galaxy Core/Grand Prime, J-Series) drove a majority of shipments in many key emerging markets.
Apple shipped 48 million units (+22.2 percent). The smartphone market share of Apple was 13.5 percent (11.8 percent).
The technology major shipped 13 million iPhone 6s and 6s Plus during launch week.
Older iPhone 5S, 6, and 6 Plus models also sold vigorously during the third quarter thanks to recent price cuts across all models. Apple’s upgrade plan is expected to assist drive handset upgrades in developed telecom markets where smartphone saturation continues to increase.
Huawei shipped 26.5 million units (+60.9 percent). The smartphone market share of Huawei was 7.5 percent (5 percent)
Devices like the Honor 6 Plus and Ascend P8 helped grow the mid-to-high range 25 percent from last year according to Huawei. Despite the rapid growth in China and Europe, Huawei will need to focus on the United States where its presence remains relatively low. The recent launch of the new premium Nexus 6P device could signal that Huawei is finally ready to seriously compete in the U.S.
Lenovo and Motorola shipped 18.8 million (+11.1 percent). The smartphone market share of Lenovo was 5.3 percent (5.1 percent).
Lenovo, a Chinese smartphone, has taken off in Middle East and Africa, as well as Central and Eastern Europe. Motorola’s strong markets are in North America and Latin America, where its variants of Moto X, G, and E hit on attractive price tiers.
Xiaomi shipped 18.3 million smartphones (+5.6 percent). The smartphone market share of Xiaomi was flat 5.2 percent in Q3 2015.
Xiaomi is focusing on Southeast Asia, India, and Brazil and China.
“In mature and subsidized markets, we have a range of operators offering equipment installation plans (EIP), as well as early trade-in options. The number of unlocked / off-contract offerings has also increased significantly. Within these markets these moves will put pressure on Android OEMs with offerings that are greater than $500,” said Ryan Reith, program director with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.
Main smartphone vendors, which are not part of the IDC’s top five list are: LG, Sony, Microsoft and ZTE.
Baburajan K
[email protected]
