Almost 60% of smartphones sold have 4G - GfK

Almost six in ten (58%) smartphones sold in the second quarter were 4G-enabled, more than double the figure a year earlier, according to data from GfK. The market researcher forecasts 4G smartphone penetration will continue to grow at the expense of 3G, which is expected to drop to 37 percent of smartphones by Q4 this year. 

Overall, GfK estimates 6 percent more smartphones were sold worldwide in Q2 compared to a year earlier. Smartphone sales value was up 8 percent over the same period. The emerging APAC, Middle East and Africa saw the strongest growth in units on an annual basis, at 23 percent, while North America recorded the strongest increase in value, up 16 percent to USD 83.5 billion. China remained the largest market, but contracted by an estimated 5 percent year-on-year to 371.7 million units. 

Globally the unit share of smartphones with large screens (5-inch or bigger) increased to 48 percent in Q2, up 5 percent from Q1 and 17 percent higher than in Q2 2014. China had the highest regional share of smartphones with large screens at 63 percent, followed by the developed APAC countries at 61 percent. 

The average smartphone sales price in USD declined 1 percent from Q1 to Q2 but was up  3 percent year-on-year. GfK forecasts the smartphone ASP to decline by 1 percent over the full year 2015.