Global Smartphone Shipments Fall 2.3% Year-Over-Year, IDC Says
July 31 2019 - 3:29PM
Dow Jones News
By Michael Tobin
Global smartphone shipments fell 2.3% in the second quarter from
a year earlier, the International Data Corporation said
Wednesday.
Smartphone vendors shipped 333.2 million phones in the second
quarter, a 6.5% increase compared with the first quarter of this
year. South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung Electronics Co.
Ltd. had the most shipments, followed by Huawei Technologies Co.
Ltd. and Apple Inc.
Despite the year-over-year decline, the report said that global
smartphone shipments had their strongest quarterly performance
since the second quarter of 2018.
"Although the overall market remains in decline, the performance
in the second quarter indicates that demand is starting to pick up
as the market begins to stabilize again," said Anthony Scarsella,
research manager with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone
Tracker, in prepared remarks.
Mr. Scarsella attributed the improved performance to
availability of improved "mid-tier devices" that offer premium
features but are more affordable than high-end models. He also
cited the improvement to more trade-in smartphone programs in
important markets.
The report said China and the U.S. saw the sharpest quarterly
declines. However, the Chinese decline during the first half of the
year wasn't as severe as the second half of 2018, suggesting that
the world's largest smartphone market is recovering.
The IDC said that excluding Japan and China, the Asia/Pacific
market saw a 3% increase in shipments during the second
quarter.
Samsung had the most global shipments during the second quarter
as the South Korean electronics manufacturer shipped 75.5 million
smartphones.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei reached an all-time high
of shipments in China.
"The China success during the quarter was in part due to actions
taken following the U.S. trade ban as Huawei relocated significant
human resources back to China with a focus on distribution channel
management in the Chinese lower-tier cities," the IDC said.
Apple had 33.8 million smartphone shipments during the second
quarter, an 18.2% decrease from a year earlier.
The IDC said that even if Apple's market share falls, the base
of consumers who have iPhones is growing.
"So irrespective of the hardware -- as a new iPhone, an older
model, or a refurbished product -- the expansion of iOS users is
what appears to matter most going forward," the report said.
Write to Michael Tobin at michael.tobin@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 31, 2019 15:14 ET (19:14 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Samsung Electronics (PK) (USOTC:SSNHZ)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Samsung Electronics (PK) (USOTC:SSNHZ)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024