Global sales of smartphones to end users returned to growth in the first quarter of 2018, with a 1.3% increase over the same period in 2017, according to Gartner.
Compared to the first quarter of 2017, sales of total mobile phones stalled and reached 455 million units in the first quarter of 2018. Nearly 384 million smartphones were sold in the first quarter of 2018, representing 84% of total mobile phones sold. Research director Anshul Gupta said:
“Demand for premium and high-end smartphones continued to suffer due to marginal incremental benefits during upgrade. Demand for entry-level smartphones and low mid-tier smartphones improved due to better-quality models”.
Continued weakness in Greater China’s mobile phone market also limited growth potential for the top global brands, including Chinese brands such as Oppo and Vivo, with over 70% of their sales coming from Greater China.
Samsung’s mid-tier smartphones faced continued competition from Chinese brands, which led to unit sales contraction year-on-year. This is despite the earlier launch of its flagship Galaxy S9 and S9+ compared to the S8 and S8+ in 2017, and despite the Note 8 having a positive impact on Samsung sales in the first quarter of 2018.
Samsung’s smartphone growth rate will remain under pressure through 2018, with Chinese brands’ growing dominance and expansion into Europe and Latin America markets. Samsung is challenged to raise the ASP of its smartphones, while facing increasing competition from Chinese brands that are taking more market share.
The delayed sales boost for Apple from the last quarter materialised. Apple’s smartphone unit sales returned to growth in the first quarter of 2018, with an increase of 4% year-on-year. Gupta continued:
“Even though demand for Apple’s iPhone X exceeded that of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, the vendor struggled to drive significant smartphone replacements, which led to slower-than-expected growth in the first quarter of 2018. With its exclusive focus on premium smartphones, Apple needs to significantly raise the overall experience of its next-generation iPhones to trigger replacements and lead to solid growth in the near future”.
Huawei’s refreshed smartphone portfolio helped strengthen its number-three global smartphone vendor position. Gupta also said:
“Achieving 18.3% growth in the first quarter of 2018 helped Huawei close the gap with Apple. However, its future growth increasingly depends on the vendor ramping up share in Emerging Asia/Pacific and resolving issues in the US market, through the development of a stronger consumer brand. Huawei’s attempt to grow its premium smartphone portfolio with its recent launches of the P20, P20 Pro and Honor 10 helps raise its competitiveness and growth potential”.
Xiaomi was the clear winner of the first quarter, achieving a growth of 124% year-on-year. Xiaomi’s refreshed portfolio of smartphones and aggressive pricing strategy helped it hold the number-four spot in the first quarter of 2018. Gupta concluded:
“This strategy led Xiaomi to achieve 330% growth in the Emerging Asia/Pacific region”.
In the smartphone operating system market, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS achieved growth in units in the first quarter of 2018, but Android saw its share slightly contract.
