Smartphone shipments cross 1 bn in 2013 for the first time: IDC

The worldwide smartphone market saw one billion units being shipped in a single year for the first time, according to the latest data from research firm IDC.   According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped a total of 1,004.2 million smartphones worldwide, up 38.4 percent from the 725.3 million units that were shipped in 2012. The report says that smartphones accounted for 55.1 percent of all mobile phone shipments in 2013, up from the 41.7 percent of all mobile phone shipments in 2012.   In the fourth quarter of 2013, vendors shipped a total of 284.4 million smartphones worldwide, which is a 24.2 percent increase from the 229.0 million units shipped in Q4 of 2012. Overall, vendors shipped 1,821.8 million units of phones (including smartphones and feature phones) which is a 4.8 percent increase from the 1,738.1 million units shipped in 2012.   Phablets continue to be the biggest sales drivers for vendors. But the bigger key factor for consumers was price and the sub $150 category smartphones are the fastest growing, according to analysts at the firm.   Ryan Reith, Program Director with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, said, in a press release, “Among the top trends driving smartphone growth are large screen devices and low cost. Of the two, I have to say that low cost is the key difference maker. Cheap devices are not the attractive segment that normally grabs headlines, but IDC data shows this is the portion of the market that is driving volume. Markets like China and India are quickly moving toward a point where sub-$150 smartphones are the majority of shipments, bringing a solid computing experience to the hands of many.”   As far as individual vendors are concerned, Samsung remains on top. The company shipped 313.9 million smartphones devices in 2013 alone with a market share of 31.3 percent. It shipped 82 million smartphones in Q4 of 2013, according to the report. However IDC data notes that the company despite its vast selection of phones, saw a decline in Q4 of 2013 when compared to the previous quarter. Nevertheless, Samsung has maintained a sizable double-digit lead over the next vendor.   Apple is at number two with a 153.4 million shipments for the year 2013 and a market share of 15.3 percent. For Q4 it shipped 51 million smartphones, according to IDC. The report notes that the record Q4 growth was driven primarily by the addition of multiple countries offering the iPhone 5S and 5C, and sustained demand from its initial markets that saw these models launch. However the report notes that Apple had the lowest year-on-year increase of all the leading vendors.   China’s Huawei maintained its number three position with 48.8 millions smartphones shipped throughout the year and 16.4 million smartphones shipped in Q4 alone. According to IDC, the company saw its highest year-on-year increase among the leading vendors.   At number four was Lenovo. This is big given that the company has no presence in North America or Western Europe. IDC notes that Lenovo’s strength lies in its strong presence within key emerging markets and a well-segmented product portfolio.   LG finished number 5 in Q4 and number 4 on as far total smartphone sales for the year were concerned. The company sold 13.2 million smartphones in Q4 and 47.7 million smartphones for all of 2013. However the company faces tough competition from ZTE and Lenovo. According to IDC, LG’s success can be directly attributed to bigger-screen and high-end models, including the Nexus 5 and its Optimus G series.