According to the latest data out of the IDC, smartphone vendors shipped a total of 341.6 million smartphones worldwide in the second quarter of 2017, a 1.3% decline on the 346.1 million units shipped in the second quarter of last year.
However, IDC Say that despite this, all the major smartphone brands managed to grow their market share and shipment numbers during the period.
“In my opinion, the biggest change in the second quarter is the size of the contraction among the ‘Others’ outside of the top 5 OEMs,” said Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers.
“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% in 2016. 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”, Reith said.
Looking forward, Anthony Scarsella, research manager with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, says that “despite some key launches in the second quarter from some well-known players, all eyes will be on the ultra-high-end flagships set to arrive this fall.”
The IDC expect that the next two quarters will bring back-to-back positive year-over-year growth, contributing to an overall picture of 2017 as a ‘rebound year’ for the market.
“With devices like the iPhone 8, Pixel 2, Note 8, and V30 in the pipeline, the competition will be fierce come September. We expect all the key players to promote their latest and greatest flagships with an assortment of deals, bundles, and trade-in offers across a variety of channels in most key markets.”
