Global smartphone market declines 6% in Q3 2018; Samsung continues to lead: IDC

Smartphone makers combined to ship 355.2 million units in the third quarter of 2018, resulting in a six per cent year-over-year drop.

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Samsung shipped 72.2 million smartphone units in Q3 2018, making it the world’s largest mobile phone handset marker.

Samsung registered 20.3 per cent market share for global smartphone shipments during Q3 2018, says IDC. In the latest edition of its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report, the research firm stated that global smartphone shipments had seen a 6 per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline, down to 355.2 million units. This represents four consecutive quarter of declining shipments in the smartphone segment.

Of the smartphone makers, the IDC report states that Samsung shipped 72.2 million smartphone units, representing a 13.4 per cent decline from its Q3 2017 results. The top ranking could be attributed to Galaxy Note 9 sales, as well as increasing global availability of its Galaxy A series devices. It is followed by Huawei with 14.6 per cent of smartphone shipments, a decline from the 15.9 per cent recorded in Q2 2018. The figures not only represent the popularity of its P series and Mate series, but also the sales of its sub-brand Honor, that deals with budget-friendly devices.

Meanwhile, Apple ranks third, with 13.2 per cent market share of total smartphone shipments, or 46.9 million iPhone units. While the iPhone XS Max and iPhone XS have received a response on expected lines, the reduced prices of iPhone 8/8Plus, iPhone 7/7 Plus and other iPhones also contributed to overall shipments. This can be compared to the 46.7 million iPhones shipped in the same time last year, though the iPhone X and iPhone SE have been discontinued in Q3 2018.

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Also read: Xiaomi ships 12 million phones in India in Q3, but overall market struggles: Canalys

The other OEMs listed among the top five smartphone vendors include Xiaomi and Oppo. The Redmi maker, with the Redmi Note 5 series and Redmi 6 series, registered 9.7 per cent share in shipments during Q3 2018. Meanwhile, Oppo had a market share of 8.4 per cent for the same period, that was based on the popularity of Find X and R17.

Samsung is followed by Huawei and Apple in the smartphone shipments rankings, while Oppo and Xiaomi complete the top five vendors. (Image Source: IDC)

The IDC report for Q3 2018 also suggests that the decline in global market shipments will be plugged by updates to recently launched flagship phones such as the Mate 20 series, OnePlus 6T and Mi Mix 3, expected to launch in other markets as well. Migration to 5G services is also expected to bring increased demand for smartphones next year.