IDC Q1 2018: Top 5 Smartphone Market Leaders

The International Data Corporation’s (IDC) just revealed their Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. There was a 2.9% decline in the Year-over-Year worldwide smartphone shipments for Q1 2018, despite the strong performance and release of flagships. Either way, here are the top 5 Smartphone Market Leaders in Q1 2018.

Leading the pack, to no one’s surprise, is South Korean tech giant Samsung. The brand remains as the global market leader grabbing a 23.4% market share despite their 2.4% decline last year. Their growth can be attributed to the early release of the Galaxy S9 and S9+. Although the pair shipped late in the quarter, initial sales helped maintain the overall yearly decline of Samsung to a minimum. The bulk of these sales will have more of an impact in Q2 2018.

Apple maintains their position as number 2, despite losing their seat to Huawei late last year. Q1 saw the well-regarded brand ship a total of 52.2 million iPhones, from the 50.8 million units last year, for a 2.8% year-over-year increase. Despite the backlash to the iPhone X, it still remained as the company’s leader for March, with added boosts from the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.

Following suit is Apple’s fiercest competitor, Huawei. Despite retaining their position at number 3, the Chinese manufacturer reached an all-new market share high of 11.8%. With their renewed push for international recognition, the brand achieved a year-over-year increase of 13.8%. Surprisingly, leading their market share is their more affordable smartphones rather than their high-end P and mate series. Although, they are slowly earning ground in the Western Europe market, where their high-end devices are more recognized.

Holding the 4th spot is the ever notorious Xiaomi. Their growth can be attributed to their strong following outside the Chinese market, to the point that less than half of their shipments were domestic. Their presence is strongly felt in India and Southeast Asia. Leading the brand’s market share in India is their low-end Redmi 5A, with their online channels being the key contributor in the country.

Taking the 5th spot is OPPO, though they are riding at a 7.5% year-over-year decline due to the aforementioned China slowdown. Overseas shipment and market share did receive an increase though, so the brand’s decline is more of a domestic impact. To counter Xiaomi’s growth in the Indian market, the brand is also targetting in expanding their online presence.

Check out the market table below.

Zen Estacio

Zen Estacio is a Multimedia Producer for YugaTech. He is the team's laptop guru and one of their resident gamers. He has a monthly column compiling the latest and greatest the Nintendo Switch has to offer. Aside from that, he regularly writes gaming news, reviews, and impressions. You can hit him up at @papanZEN