India will overtake the US in 2017 to become the world's second-largest smartphone market, after China, according to research by Strategy Analytics. The Indian market is expected to grow from 82 million smartphones last year to 116 million this year and 174 million in 2017. India's growth is being driven by low smartphone penetration, expanding retail availability of devices, wealthier middle-class consumers, and aggressive promotions from local smartphone brands like Micromax, the researcher said.
Growth in the US meanwhile will slow, reaching 169 million units in 2017 versus 148 million in 2014. China remains by far the largest market, growing from an estimated 405 million last year to 505 million in 2017. Overall, Strategy Analytics predicts the global smartphone market will reach 1.7 billion units in 2017, versus an estimated 1.5 billion this year.
