Era of record breaking smartphone sales set to end this year
Smartphone sales may be in rude health at the moment, with 1.2bn devices sold throughout the course of 2014, a 23 per cent rise on 2013, but analysts project that this golden age could be drawing to a close with sales plateauing through 2015.
Sales were given a boost last year by Apple’s introduction of larger screen variants but with developed markets now at saturation point manufacturers have to turn to developing economies in the hope of maintaining present growth.
Analysis by GfK suggests that this shift will see sales growth slow 14 per cent this year with just 1.368 devices shipped, as consumers become more price conscious and more inclined to retain their existing model rather than upgrade.
Kevin Walsh, a trends analyst director with GfK, said: “We forecast emerging regions to drive growth in 2015 as smartphones further penetrate lower price points. GfK forecasts that smartphone price bands above $150 will see a decline in their market share. At the next level down, $100-150, sales will remain stable, but it is the cheaper smartphones priced below this point that will gain share.”