Smartphone sales hit 1 billion in 2013

Research firm IDC claims shipments of smartphones hit 1,004,200,000 units in 2013, accounting for 55.1 percent of all mobile phone shipments that year. Sales of smartphones are still booming, unit sales were up 38.4 percent year-over-year. Samsung is by far the largest player in the smartphone market with a marketshare of 31.3 percent, while Apple has a distant second place with a marketshare of 15.3 percent. All other smartphone makers have a marketshare of under 5 percent.

Ryan Reith, Program Director with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, said that the falling price of smartphone hardware is the most significant factor driving this growth, as well as broader availability of devices with larger screens. "Of the two [factors], I have to say that low cost is the key difference maker," Reith explained. "Cheap devices are not the attractive segment that normally grabs headlines, but IDC data shows this is the portion of the market that is driving volume."

He added: "Markets like China and India are quickly moving toward a point where sub-$150 smartphones are the majority of shipments, bringing a solid computing experience to the hands of many."

Source: Neowin