According to the latest IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report, the global smartphone market has experienced a growth of 79.7% year-over-year during 1Q11. The study attributes this accelerated growth to a combination of factors like release of much-awaited models, high-end devices available at low price points and continued user demand.
Smartphone vendors sold almost 99.6 million units in 1Q11, which has nearly doubled when compared to figures posted last year during the same time. Nokia has managed to retain its leadership position in the overall smartphone market, regardless of its recent announcement to shift to the Windows Phone platform. Handsets featuring Symbian OS continue to be in demand with 24.3% of market share and 24.2 million units being shipped during the 1Q11. Apple came in at second spot with a year-over-year growth of 114.4%. The company posted a total market share of 18.7% and has signed on South Korean Telecom and Saudi Telecom as new carrier providers of the iPhone.
“Conditions in the smartphone market are creating a perfect storm for sustained smartphone growth. First, vendors are increasingly emphasizing smartphones as the key to their own growth. Second, selection has proliferated from mostly high-end devices to include more mid-range and entry-level offerings. Third, pricing has become increasingly competitive, with even high-end devices available at low price points. Finally, users continue to seek greater utility from their mobile phone beyond voice, and smartphones have been the ideal solution. Altogether, these add up to continued smartphone growth throughout the year,” expressed Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Phone Technology and Trends team.
RIM too has maintained third place as it grows its presence outside North America with their recent announcements being two new smartphones based on BlackBerry 7 OS. It shipped 13.9 million units and noted a total market share of 14.0%. Samsung reports a t year-over-year growth – 350% when pitted against any of the vendors on the list. The mobile phone manufacturer has enhanced its smartphone portfolio to feature diverse devices and has 10.8% of market share to its credit. HTC also set yet another record shipment volume of nearly 8.9 million units in the 1Q this year. The company has released a slew of handsets like Salsa, ChaCha, Inspire 4G, EVO Shift 4G and Thunderbolt, plummeting its market share to 8.9%.
Considering the continued strong demand for smartphones the markets will remain exceedingly competitive and fragmented, according to IDC.