4G smartphone unit share surpassed 50 percent of global smartphone demand for the first time. 4G share in China increased 16 percentage points to 73 percent, from 57 percent last quarter. Global 4G share will be reaching 59 percent in Q4 2015.
Global smartphone unit demand increased 7 percent to 310 million against 19 percent growth in Q4 2014. This slowdown was caused by a year-on-year decline in demand for smartphones in China and Developed Asia, down 14 percent and 5 percent, respectively.
“The weakness in China was caused by a significant slowdown in 3G demand, which was not offset by 4G growth. We forecast China to return to growth in the second half of the year, driven by a continued 4G ramp-up,” said Kevin Walsh, director of trends and forecasting at GfK.
“In Developed Asia, the year-on-year decline was caused by tough comparisons with Q1 2014, when demand was pulled forward in Japan due to an upcoming VAT increase in April. We forecast unit demand in Developed Asia to grow by +3 percent in 2015, driven by Japan and South Korea, which are expected to return to growth in 2Q15,” Walsh said.
Global smartphone unit demand will grow 10 percent in 2015 against 23 percent growth last year. Emerging Asia is forecast to be the fastest growing region, driven by India and Indonesia.
