The global smartphone market is slowly getting back on track, according to new data from IDC. The research firm’s estimates show sales increased 0.8 percent year over year in Q3 2019. In all, vendors sold an estimated 358.3 million units during the July-September period. This is an increase of 8.1 percent from the previous quarter. We can expect the numbers to get even better in the holiday season.
Samsung Remained The Top Vendor In Q3 2019
With total sales of 78.2 million handsets in Q3 2019, Samsung retained the first spot. It saw year-over-year growth of 8.3 percent and market share increased to 21.8 percent. IDC believes that sales were boosted by the recently launched Galaxy Note 10 range and the A-series handsets. The mid-range A-series phones apparently benefited from Huawei’s temporarily withdrawal from the scene. Sure, the Chinese company hasn’t officially bowed out, but lack of access to Google’s services is more likely than not affecting global sales.
However, Huawei is pretty resilient. Despite the headwinds, the company emerged as the best performer of Q3 2019. It saw a year over year growth of 28.2 percent with sales totaling 66.6 million units. The company’s market share increased from 14.6 percent in the year-ago quarter to 18.6 percent in the July-September period.
Now that it’s supposedly struggling internationally Huawei is pursuing the domestic market aggressively. It is especially targeting the lower-tier cities, says IDC. Thanks to strong supply chain relationships, a varied portfolio, and strong feelings of nationalism, the company is doing really well in China. In fact, it has apparently nabbed the market share of other local companies like Xiaomi and OPPO, as well as Apple’s.
Apple managed to retain the third spot with 46.6 million shipments. Although that’s a decline of 0.6 percent from the year-ago quarter, it beats most expectations. The Cupertino giant did well in key markets like the U.S. and Western Europe.
Xiaomi And OPPO Faced Stiff Competition From Huawei In The Domestic Market
As mentioned before, Xiaomi and OPPO both struggled in China. The former’s shipments actually slumped 3.3 percent to 32.7 million units and market share went down to 9.1 percent from 9.5 percent. However, the company solidified its presence in India, which emerged as one of the most important markets in Q3.
OPPO had a similar strategy. The Reno and K series did particularly well in India. Other than that, the A9 also helped sales. In all, shipments increased by 4.1 percent year-over-year. The company managed to sell 31.2 million handsets in total and had 8.7 percent of the market in the last quarter.
The combined shipments of all other vendors went down 14.7 percent. Per IDC’s estimates, the top five companies had almost 70 percent of the market. Next year, with the improvement in 5G coverage as well as the availability of affordable handsets touting the next generation of wireless connectivity, shipments are likely to receive another boost.
Similarly, we are likely to see more foldable handsets next year. Samsung alone is apparently planning to release two bendable phones in 2020. Although analysts expect sales of foldable phones to hit 5 million next year, the new form factor is likely to inject a new life into the smartphone market by piquing consumer interest.