Big screens drive steady growth in smartphone sales: study

WASHINGTON - The global smartphone market is expected to see steady if unspectacular growth in the next few years, as consumers turn increasingly to large-screen handsets known as "phablets," a market tracker said.

A report by the research firm IDC said phablets -- with displays larger than 5.5 inches (14 centimeters) -- will account for some 40 percent of the 1.5 billion smartphones sold in 2017, and that the phablet share will rise to more than half by 2019.

The overall smartphone market is on a modest growth pace of around 3 percent that will boost global sales to 1.7 billion by 2021, according to IDC researchers.

But growth is coming from the large-screen devices as sales dip for conventional handsets with displays of 5.5 inches or less, IDC said.

"In 2012, phablets were just one percent of smartphone shipments and now they are approaching 50 percent of the market just a few years later," said Ryan Reith, an IDC analyst.

"Consumers continue to consume more video entertainment, gaming, social media, and other data-heavy applications on their smartphones making the display size and type a critical factor in smartphone buying decisions," Reith added.

IDC said iPhone buyers are following this trend, with the larger-screen Apple handsets to account for 41 percent of sales volume in 2017 and 50 percent or more in 2018.

IDC said the large-screen and "premium" devices entering the market are likely to boost the average price of smartphones.

"There is no doubt that 2017 gave birth to the new ultra high-end segment of the smartphone market," said Anthony Scarsella, an IDC research manager.

"The latest flagship devices from Samsung, Apple, Google, LG, and others has pushed the high end to the $850-plus level for the first time. Despite these price hikes, consumers look as if they are willing to swallow the cost just to have the latest and greatest device in their pockets."

Average selling prices for smartphones are expected to rise to $317 by 2021, up from $282 in 2016.

IDC estimated the market share for Android-powered devices to be 85.1 percent this year, and mirror the overall market over the next few years to hit 85.3 percent by 2021.

The market share for Apple is estimated at 14.8 percent in 2017, and seen slipping to 14.6 percent by 2021, IDC said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Huawei closes in on Apple, Samsung keeps lead in smartphone sales

MANILA - Chinese electronics giant Huawei nearly closed the gap with Apple Inc, but Samsung Electronics kept the world lead as smartphone sales saw a modest decline in the second quarter, according to industry tracker IDC.

Huawei shipped 38.5 million smartphones, compared to Apple's 41 million, ahead of the anticipated fourth quarter release of the 10th generation iPhone, IDC said in a statement.

Huawei, whose Mate and P lines match iPhone features but are sold at lower prices, had 11.3-percent market share compared to Apple's 12 percent.

Samsung kept the top spot by delivering some 79.8 million handsets for a 23.3-percent market share.

Samsung and Apple both slightly increased their market share compared with a year earlier, increasing sales 1.4 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively, IDC said.

Chinese manufacturers Oppo and Xiaomi rounded out the top five with market shares of 8.1 and 6.2 percent, respectively.

IDC said that overall sales were lower than a year earlier, the top 5 smartphone vendors showed positive growth while declines were seen for other manufacturers.

"It's no secret that the smartphone market is a very challenging segment for companies to maintain or grow share, especially as already low average selling prices declined by another 4.3 percent in 2016," said IDC analyst Ryan Reith.

"The smaller, more localized vendors will continue to struggle, especially as the leading volume drivers build out their portfolio into new markets and price segments."

Apple managed to boost iPhone sales from the same period a year ago despite intense speculation about the 10th anniversary edition of the popular device.

But Apple has lost ground in the Chinese market, with revenues down 10 percent from a year earlier in its "Greater China" segment. -- with Agence France-Presse

source: news.abs-cbn.com