If a little over an hour ago we were present with the news from Samsung that attributes its lower figures in smartphone sales to aggressive competition and low market demand, now we have another contribution from a firm that shows data that In part, they go with what Samsung announced, although they also show other trends marked, first, by a saturated market, and second, by the appearance of new manufacturers that are making the competition tougher.
We have already meant that Samsung's words had a double meaning, and this is more along the lines of the figures provided by Strategy Analytics. Smartphone distributions worldwide grew 12 percent to a record high of 1.400 billion devices in 2015. This does not mean that we are facing a year to frame, since we have one of lime and another of sand in this entry. In the fourth quarter of 2015, sales grew a mere six percent compared to the same period last year. It means that the industry has had the lowest growth rate of all time, in part because major markets, such as China, which are more inclined to use smartphones, already own one and do not have the need to buy a new one.
Samsung leading in the fourth quarter
Samsung, although we have announced a decline in sales figures, continues leading with some 81.3 million units distributed worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2015, nine percent more than in the same period of the previous year. This figure is the highest obtained by the Korean manufacturer in the past two years.
Apple, on the other hand, is not in its best days with figures around the 74,8 million iPhones in the last quarter or Q4, but that does not even reach the figure taken in the previous year when it went up to 74.5 million devices.
Strategy Analytics comments to this small drop that Apple is hitting the roof And that is why it should seek to explore new markets, such as India, in order to ensure that it will continue in this fight with Samsung for the smartphone market around the world.
The rest of competitors
After the big two we have Huawei which has grown by two percent since 2014, which positions it in third place. Xiaomi is in fifth, having sold 2 million more phones if we compare it to the figures obtained in 2014. The one that has seen its percentage reduced compared to 2014 of the first five is Lenovo-Motorola. Just 18 percent.
Saturated market and new players that enter directly to compete against the high-end by offering terminals of great quality and great design at a great price. A market that seems to be reaching a ceiling and in which new markets are being sought so that the numbers continue to increase, but like everything in life has a limit. As I mentioned in the previous post, we are in a 2016 in which we are going to see different products at a price lower than 150-200 euros that will lower the demands of users and therefore their need to obtain a high-end that its market share percentage is going to be reduced.
The same thing happened in the PC market when everyone acquired high quality components so there was no real reason to replace a product that gives us what we want. The same is the case with ereaders that are stagnant because the new editions do not provide anything vastly different to what you have.
Be that as it may, we will have to wait a bit and see how he wanders this new year with a market that is reeling and in which the multitude of manufacturers makes it difficult to see what the future will be.
"Sales grew merely six percent"
"The industry has obtained the lowest growth rate of all time"
"Apple, on the other hand, is not in its best days with figures around 74,8 million iPhones in the last quarter"
Leo Androidsis for a long time and I really like your articles but when I read this one I can't help but ask: Are you aware that continuous growth is completely unfeasible?
"We are in a 2016 in which we are going to see different products at a price lower than 150-200 euros that will lower the demands of users"
I have been an absolute fan of Android since its early days but my scale of values is clear: It is only a phone, by all the gods. I currently have a MOTO G, a wonderful machine for which I paid € 120. It is the most expensive phone I have ever owned and I don't think my next terminal will exceed that price.
Are you aware of what is the average salary in Spain and in the Spanish-speaking countries that read to you? I understand that operators and brands "encourage" you to recommend the high-end range and to push consumption, but a bit of realism would not hurt either.
I hope not to offend anyone with my comment. All the best.
I want to thank you for your comment that comes from reality in these difficult days.
Those comments come from the panorama in which the market is right now and that makes it possible to access terminals such as the Moto G, at that price for which you bought it when four or five years ago it was almost impossible.
One evades the real, when it approaches the point of view of the manufacturers and companies that launch all those terminals. Logically then each of us have our lives in which we have to fight to pull forward.
And you do not offend at all, it is the harsh reality too. The only thing that we are here on is a wheel in which users, media and manufacturers are as a vital part of it so that it can continue rolling, and from here we always try to push a little, and that can drive us away, in certain moments, of what happens in many parts of the planet, not only here.
Greetings and thanks again for your comment darzee!