Global smartphone shipments fell 8 percent annually to 360 million units in the third quarter, according to Strategy Analytics. Samsung remained market leader with a 20 percent global market share, ahead of Huawei in second place, while Xiaomi and Oppo rose to record highs in fourth and fifth places.
The market researcher said the smartphone market "is effectively in a recession", after four consecutive quarters of falling shipments. The industry is struggling to come to terms with heavily diminished carrier subsidies, longer replacement rates, inventory buildup in several regions, and a lack of exciting hardware design innovation, according to Strategy Analytics.
The weak market was reflected in Samsung's figures, with shipments down an estimated 13.3 percent year-on-year to 72.3 million smartphones in Q3. The Chinese manufacturers did better, led by 32.5 percent growth at Huawei to 51.8 million units. Huawei's market share grew to 14.4 percent from 9.9 percent a year ago, while Apple's increased over the same period to 13.0 percent from 11.9 percent, despite flat shipments year-on-year.
Xiaomi shipped an estimated 33.0 million smartphones in the quarter to take fourth place in the global market with 9.2 percent share. Xiaomi’s shipments increased 19 percent annually, but growth slowed from the 91 percent rate recorded a year ago, due to intensified competition from Huawei in its key markets of India and China.
