IDC: Samsung still leads Apple in smartphone market as Chinese brands surge
Apple's smartphone sales fell for the very first time during Q1 2016, and if the words of KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo are to be heeded, the iPhone 7 won't be able to stop a year-on-year decline in iPhone shipments for the entirety of 2016. Close rival Samsung, conversely, is revelling in its competitor's misfortune, and buoyed by strong sales of the coveted Galaxy S7 duo, has cemented its place at the summit of the smartphone market.
According to figures collated by research firm IDC, the South Korean firm did see a very slight dip in smartphone shipments compared with the first quarter of last year. But with 81.9 million devices shipped versus 82.4 million in Q1 2015, there's no real cause for alarm. Compare these numbers with Apple's drop from 61.2 million in Q1 2015 to 51.2 million over the January-to-March quarter this year, and it's clear to see which of the Big Two is currently winning.
IDC reports that the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge sold 'vigorously' during the month of March, when it shipped a reported 10 million units out to eager early adopters. These numbers beat even the estimates of analysts, and Samsung could further its advantage over Apple looking ahead to the Galaxy Note 6 later this year. The iPhone 7, from what we hear, won't be much to write home about, and if it does fail to impress, Sammy and numerous other Android vendors will be waiting in the wings.
Speaking of which, Chinese firm Huawei was third in IDC's shipments round-up with 27.5 million phones sold—a healthy increase of 10 million from the corresponding quarter of 2015. Oppo (18.5 million) and Vivo (14.3 million), meanwhile, took fourth and fifth spot, displacing Xiaomi and Lenovo in the process.
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