Global Smartphone Shipments Register Double Digit Growth, Says Counterpoint

Global smartphone shipments have bounced back, logging a growth of 11 percent in the first quarter this year compared to a two percent decline in the same period last year, a report said on Tuesday.

A total of 375 million smartphone units were shipped in the first quarter, according to market research firm Counterpoint Research.

The smartphone penetration has reached over 80 percent of the mobile phones shipped in the first quarter, with the top 10 brands contributing to almost 73 percent of the smartphone volumes.

"The 'affordable premium' segment - $300 - $399 (roughly Rs. 20,000 - Rs. 25,600)- was the fastest growing smartphone segment during the quarter mainly driven by Oppo, Vivo and Samsung A series smartphones," the report noted.

Due to the softness in iPhone volumes and controlled inventory of the Samsung flagship Galaxy S7/ S7 edge ahead of the Galaxy S8 series launch, the premium segment declined annually and accounted for almost 20 percent of the global smartphone market.

Meanwhile, the smartphones in the $100 - $199 (roughly Rs. 6,400 - Rs. 12,800) price segment accounted for one in three smartphones shipped globally, registering a 29 percent increase in the first quarter of 2017.

This price segment is mainly driven by Samsung's J series, Huawei's Honor series, Oppo's A series and Xiaomi's Redmi series smartphones.