Gartner reports worldwide iPhone sales in the first quarter of 2017 were flat, as the smartphone market continued to grow, powered by the top Chinese smartphone manufacturers, who saw global growth.
Global sales of smartphones to end users totaled 380 million units in the first quarter of 2017, a 9.1 percent increase over the first quarter of 2016, reported Gartner. Of that figure, Apple sold 51.9 million units, up from 51.6 million in Q1 2016, leading to a drop in market share year over year. Samsung retained top spot with 78.6 million units sold to end users, and held on to 20.7 per cent market share, but both figures were declines on a year ago.
“Sales of iPhones were flat, which led to a drop in market share year over year,” said Gartner research director, Anshul Gupta. “Similar to Samsung, Apple is increasingly facing fierce competition from Chinese brands Oppo and Vivo, among others, and its performance in China is under attack.”
Huawei, Oppo, and Vivo combined for market share of 24% in the first quarter of 2017, up 7% year-over-year. Huawei’s numbers were good for third-place, behind second-place Apple. Oppo saw a 94.7% increase in their global sales, maintaining its number one position in China.
Gartner sys the top three Chinese smartphone makers are driving sales with “competitively priced, high quality smartphones equipped with innovative features.”
iOS saw continued growth in the operating system market, inching up 0.9% for the quarter. Android showed the greatest gains, increasing its market share by 2%, thanks to the gains by Chinese smartphone manufacturers.
