Global Smartphone Shipments Declined In 2017

The latest data from market research firm IDC reveals that global smartphone shipments declined slightly in 2017 with vendors shipping 1.472 billion units last year compared to 1.473 billion units in 2016, registering a decline of less than one percent. The decline was particularly significant in Q4 2017, though, despite the fact that smartphones tend to do well in the holiday season.

Preliminary data from IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker shows that smartphone vendors shipping 403.5 million units in the fourth quarter of last year compared to 430.7 million units shipped in Q4 2016. This is a decline of 6.3 percent.

The accompanying report mentions that developed markets like the United States and China both saw a decline during the quarter as customers didn’t seem to be in a rush to upgrade their handsets to newer flagship devices.

Even though Apple shipped more units than Samsung in the final quarter of last year, the latter retained its position as the top smartphone vendor in the world for 2017 with 317.3 million units being shipped compared to Apple’s 215.8 million.

Apple is now going to try and carry the momentum forward in 2018 with its new flagship smartphone, the iPhone X, before rolling out new handsets in the fall this year. Samsung is due to unveil its new flagship the Galaxy S9 later this month and it’s going to be the company’s best bet to win over new customers in the flagship smartphone segment in the first half of this year. It will follow up with the next Galaxy Note flagship in the second half of this year.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: apple, Samsung