Gartner Says Emerging Markets Drove Worldwide Smartphone Sales to 15.5 Percent Growth in Third Quarter of 2015

Huawei Recorded Highest Growth in Mobile Phone and Smartphone Sales in Third Quarter of 2015

Continued demand for affordable smartphones in emerging markets drove worldwide sales of smartphones in the third quarter of 2015, according to Gartner, Inc. Global sales of smartphones to end users totaled 353 million units, a 15.5 percent growth over the same period in 2014 (see Table 1).

"The availability of affordable smartphones in emerging markets saw consumers upgrade their 'feature phones' to smartphones more quickly because of the small price gap," said Anshul Gupta, research director at Gartner. "Smartphone sales in emerging markets rose to 259.7 million in the third quarter of 2015 an 18.4 percent growth over the third quarter of 2014 while sales in mature markets saw growth of just 8.2 percent over the same period."

In the third quarter of 2015, Samsung refreshed its flagship devices just four months after its previous refresh to address slowing demand for its high-end devices, and further compete with Apple's large-screen iPhones. Apple continued its dominance in the premium segment of the smartphone market with its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models for most of the third quarter of 2015. The global launch of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus during the last week of September 2015, along with the simultaneous launch in China, further added to its overall sales during the quarter. Huawei continued its growth momentum, driven by smartphone sales in both its home market and global markets, particularly Europe, where sales were driven by its ever-growing brand visibility.

Table 1Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Vendor in 3Q15 (Thousands of Units)Company 3Q15 3Q15 Market Share (%) 3Q14 3Q14 Market Share (%)Units UnitsSamsung 83,586.70 23.7 72,929.40 23.9Apple 46,062.00 13.1 38,186.60 12.5Huawei 27,262.30 7.7 15,935.00 5.2Lenovo* 17,439.20 4.9 21,314.10 7Xiaomi 17,197.20 4.9 15,772.50 5.2Others 161,296.60 45.7 141,246.50 46.3Total 352,844.00 100 305,384.00 100Source: Gartner (November 2015)
Table 2Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Operating System in 3Q15 (Thousands of Units)Operating System 3Q15 3Q15 Market Share (%) 3Q14 3Q14 Market Share (%)Units UnitsAndroid 298,797 84.7 254,354 83.3iOS 46,062 13.1 38,187 12.5Windows 5,874 1.7 9,033 3BlackBerry 977 0.3 2,420 0.8Others 1133.6 0.3 1,310.20 0.4Total 352,844.00 100 305,384.00 100Source: Gartner (November 2015)

Worldwide mobile phone sales to end users totaled nearly 478 million units during the third quarter of 2015, an increase of 3.7 percent from the same period in 2014 (see Table 3). Continued growth in emerging markets helped bolster sales of local brands. As a result, Micromax Informatics cemented its place among the top 10 global mobile phone vendors worldwide, while Chinese brands such as ZTE, Huawei, Xiaomi, TCL Communication Technology, Oppo and BBK became increasingly aggressive in the emerging markets.

Table 3Worldwide Mobile Phone Sales to End Users by Vendor in 3Q15 (Thousands of Units)Company 3Q15 3Q15 Market Share (%) 3Q14 3Q14 Market Share (%)Units UnitsSamsung 102,063 21.4 93.62 20.3Apple 46,062 9.6 38,187 8.3Microsoft 30,291 6.3 43,134 9.4Huawei 27,457 5.7 16,324 3.5LG Electronics 18,194 3.8 21,292 4.6Lenovo* 17,612 3.7 21.551 4.7Xiaomi 17,197 3.6 15,773 3.4TCL Communication 17,165 3.6 15,955 3.5ZTE 13,682 2.9 13,858 3Micromax 12,165 2.5 5,645 1.2Others 176,011.10 36.8 175,725.90 38.1Total 477,898.80 100 461,064.00 100Source: Gartner (November 2015)