Global smartphone demand rose 7% in Q1 2015 – driven by phablets
The global demand for smartphones rose by seven per cent year on year internationally although uptake staggered in Western and Central Europe in addition to Asia, according to data from GfK.
Spain and France suffered notable slowdown due to a high level of smartphone saturation. Furthermore, Central Europe sales were hit by the economic slowdown in Russia with the region forecasted for weaker sakes than Western Europe for the first time since 2010.
China and developed Asia was also down 15 and five per cent respectively as first time mobile buyers are being replaced by upgraders.
Kevin Walsh, director of trends and forecasting at GfK, said: “The weakness in China was caused by a significant slowdown in 3G demand, which was not offset by 4G growth. We forecast China to return to growth in the second half of the year, driven by a continued 4G ramp-up. In Developed Asia, the year-on-year decline was caused by tough comparisons with Q1 2014, when demand was pulled forward in Japan due to an upcoming VAT increase in April.
“We forecast unit demand in Developed Asia to grow by three per cent year-on-year in 2015, driven by Japan and South Korea, which are expected to return to growth in 2Q15.”
However, during Q1, 4G’s market share surpassed 50 per cent of smartphone sales for the first time, with China’s 4G up by 16 per cent.