Samsung, Apple top smartphone vendors, but the Chinese are gaining: IDC

Samsung and Apple are on top in the smartphone market, but Chinese players are growing fast, says IDC

Samsung, Samsung IDC, IDC Smartphone shipments, IDC, IDC top smartphone vendors, IDC Q1 2017 report, IDC Smartphone report, Apple shipments, Apple vs Samsung, Samsung S8, Apple results, Samsung results, mobiles, technology, technology news

Samsung and Apple are the top two smartphone vendors for Q1, 2017, according to IDC research. (Source: Reuters)

The global smartphone market has registered a growth of 4.3 per cent in Q1 2017, according to research firm IDC. Smartphone vendors shipped a total of 347.4 million units worldwide last quarter, up 4.3 per cent from the 332.2 million units in Q1 2016.

Despite the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, Samsung once again shipped more smartphone units than any other player. The company regained the top slot from Apple during the first quarter with shipments of 79.2 million smartphones. Samsung’s position was bolstered by deep discounts on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, which actually helped clear out of inventory and make room for the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The J-series and A-series also drove significant volumes in both emerging and developed markets, the research firm said.

Apple, which took the second spot, remained largely flat during the quarter despite the introduction of its new Red iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus and refreshed iPhone SE. The Cupertino-based company slipped 0.5 per cent (to 14.9 per cent) as shipments were up by 400,000 to 51.6 million. Apple will officially reveal its iPhone sales for the quarter on May 2.

Story continues below this ad

Samsung, Apple and Huawei have retained their top positions with 22.8 per cent, 14.9 per cent and 9.8 per cent shares of the global smartphone market respectively, while Oppo and Vivo rounded out the top five, respectively.

“Despite all the popularity and media hype around premium devices, we continue to witness a shift in many companies’ portfolios geared towards affordable devices with premium-type styling compared to flagship models, said Anthony Scarsella, research manager with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

“Companies have started to implement a single premium design language that ultimately blurs the lines between the high-end and the low-end, allowing the average consumer to jump on the brand without a hefty upfront investment,” he added.

What is interesting in IDC’s report is that it sees the Chinese OEMs like Huawei, OPPO, and vivo, are the main players boosting smartphone growth. The research firm notes that these companies have “outpaced market growth for over a year now,” which is significant. These players are continuing to grow in double digits, which the overall smartphone market has now slowed down to single digit growth.

Story continues below this ad

Oppo shipped 25.6 million smartphone units in this quarter, and saw a yearly growth of 29.8 per cent, while vivo shipped 18.1 smartphones. IDC’s report also notes that both brands have boosted their presence in India, which is one of the most important smartphone markets in the world.