Smartphone sales top 290 million mark in Q2 2014

Leading mobile analyst firm Juniper Research estimates that the number of smartphone shipments reached over 290 million in Q2 2014, representing 26% y-o-y growth and 2% q-o-q growth. Both Apple and Samsung witnessed a decline in their global market share as other vendors including Huawei, LG and Lenovo made gains at their expense.

Samsung accounted for 26% of all smartphone shipments globally, with an estimated 75 million shipments during the quarter. While the company’s market share declined y-o-y and q-o-q, shipment volume were estimated to be up 4% when compared to Q2 2013. The company does not disclose shipment numbers.

Apple posted its best ever second quarter, shipping over 35 million iPhones, representing a y-o-y growth of 13%. However, Apple’s market share slipped from 15% in Q1 2014 to 12% in Q2 2014. A significant proportion of iPhone sales came from emerging markets, recording 55% y-o-y growth in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China).

Huawei & Lenovo Gains
Huawei sold some 34.3 million smartphones in H1 2014, with the second quarter shipments reaching 20 million representing a market share of nearly 7%. The company is expected to meet its full-year target of 80 million smartphones.

Lenovo is estimated to have shipped 15.6 million smartphones for the second quarter, representing an increased market share of 5.5%.

LG meanwhile shipped a record 14.5 million smartphones in the second quarter, representing a 20% y-o-y growth and 5% market share.

Emergence of the Emerging Markets
The growth in economies of scale, innovation and the ‘trickle-down’ effect of technology opened up the market to a far wider variety of low-end, lower-priced smartphones which, in turn, facilitated their entry into emerging/developing markets. Juniper anticipates that emerging nations in Far East & China, Indian Subcontinent, Latin America and Africa & Middle East will account for over 50% of the global smartphones shipped this year.